Karma and Repentance
by Arukan
Summary: With Soul Society drained for the coming war with Aizen, and Toushiro's group preoccupied with Arrancar, 5th division Momo Hinamori is sent to Karakura as a replacement for a training Rukia. !Diaper and Infantilist content inside!
1. Chapter 1

**Karma and Repentance**

By Arukan

**Chapter 1: A Moment for Hinamori Momo**

Karakura town was silent, the Urahara Shop was quiet, and the Kurosaki residence was shrouded in a noiseless vale. From the shadows darted a figure garbed in black, holding in their hand a drawn sword, they looked up towards the moonlight as a fell shadow appeared. A piercing scream rang through the night, though no one without considerable reiatsu would have felt it.

Throughout the city, the senses of the few reiatsu aware peoples piqued for a moment and then dulled. This feeling was not vital, it was not something incredible, quite ordinary for even the small city. A couple of shoulders shrugged or brows furrowed in sleep and there was no more minds paid to the cry.

Nevertheless, the figure was not afraid; they moved their sword up and deflected a shot at their heart. The figure turned and bolted up a house roof and smashing footsteps followed, crushing the roof under their clawed hooves. What would appear to be nothing was a hollow, an impure soul, chasing after one charged to purify those impures.

The shinigami turned to deflect another blow, throwing her enemy back as black hair feel from a slashed bun. The thin shinigami raised her soul slayer and pointed it at the hole in the hollow's chest. "Stay back, fell fiend!" She yelled in a high, somewhat alarmed voice. The hollow only laughed, saying nothing. It looked at her through blazing red eyes in its mask. The shinigami waived a little and found herself slammed into a nearby wall with a powerful fist.

The shinigami got up, but shuddered as she stood still reeling from that hit she had just taken. Her body shook for a moment more and she cleared her head. She'd been a little muddled, and even with the alert that a hollow was nearby, she had not been totally ready. She'd been lax in her duties for too long, she wiped her brow as the hollow's booming, and echoing voice shattered the silence of their standoff.

"Mufufu! Small shinigami, you little fool!" the hollow taunted. "Are all the adults away on real missions?" He continued to taunt. The shinigami rose, unhurt, and with rage in her eyes pointed her sword at the beast.

"That's it….no mercy….Snap: Tobiume!" She yelled a red light engulfed the street, bathing her and the hollow in a crimson glow. "I am Hinamori Momo, lieutenant captain of the fifth protection squad!" The hollow backed up warily for a moment.

"A…lieutenant?" he scoffed, underestimating the appearance of "little Momo." Without any more hesitation, he charged forward. The hollow's hooves pounded once, twice, three times against the pavement of that dark road before a ball of light consumed him, the mask smashed first, and the entirety of the hollow's body disintegrated.

Hinamori huffed a little bit, Tobiume changed back as she sheathed it, turning around. She walked back along the alabaster walled road, running her hand along the divider. "What a day…" she thought, remembering the ten hollows she dispatched. "Aizen-sama," she whimpered, imagining that bespectacled hero she once knew, his visage now replaced with that vision of evil she witnessed as he fled soul society. She was tearing only slightly, her black sleeve dabbed at the wetness, drying her eyes.

With a slow step, Hinamori returned to her gigai, hidden nicely behind a bush near where she first spotted the hollow. This human doll of Hinamori was dressed in a way she could only dream of dressing back home. She wore a blue skirt that fell past her knees; flowing with a white ruffle at the bottom, lacy, frilly, so fancy, it made her giddily squeal when she first spied it in the store.

Her shirt was plain, a black, tight tee, it had a ruby neckline and sleeve edges. Across it was emblazoned: "Heart Reaper," which Hinamori thought was utterly ironic. She adjusted what had bee mussed by the quick flight from gigai to soul form and stepped from the bushes, looking around to make sure no one was watching. When she was sure she was safe, she walked silently back to the tent in the woods she had been "assigned."

Rukia had used this tent when she was stationed there, before she came to live with Ichigo Kurosaki. The tent was large, and was comfortable, but very lonely. At least it was quiet, and it gave Hinamori more time to think than most people would ever ask for from any job.

She sat on the mattress, very plush and easy to fall asleep on, and took off her shoes and socks. She sighed, and her skirt came next. In just a pair of canary yellow panties and her black top, Hinamori sat back down on the bed and finally reclined, pulling the bunny covered sheet over her and looking up at the roof of the tent.

The rain fly was always drawn on the tent, Hinamori learned to do that after the first rain soaked everything she had inside. The darkness of the small wooded area in which her tent was hidden was like a safe grove.

Hinamori waited a couple of minutes, as she did every night, before opening her eyes again and slipping her hands into the sheets. Hinamori stood still once more. Her face blushed after a moment and she whimpered, her eyes closed tight and then opened slowly, Hinamori turned on her side and fell asleep.

The next morning did not come quick enough for Hinamori, and before the sun had risen, she was sitting up in her bed, wiggling the sleep from her toes and legs. On her hands and knees she searched for something to wear, her bottom wiggled back and forth, as she searched here and there, finally finding a loose pair of black baggy pants. She slipped them on in a fumbling manner inside the tent before putting on her socks and shoes once more, stepping out onto the dew laden blades of grass just as the sun was rising.

"Good morning," She said to herself, as if talking to the sun. She stretched her arms to the sky and checked her pink little phone that doubled as a hollow detector. There were no calls, and no hollows to be had. She actually sighed despondently; always quite bored in the morning, despite how mature she tried to act. Hitsugaya would reproach her for such behavior, and she would still call him "little whitey" instead of a proper term for someone of higher rank.

She found herself in the center of town by mid-day, not a hollow yet, unlike the three she had fought the day before. Hinamori had grown to indulging her gigai whose hunger was more wanting than needing. She walked into the bakery and sheepishly looked around. The storeowner's daughter saw Hinamori walk in and began to wave.

"Hello Miss Hinamori!" She shouted, smiling with a smile as sweet as the donuts and cinnamon rolls on the shelves behind her. In the weeks Hinamori had been installed in Karakura town, she had come to bakery often, and was a regular sight to the girl standing behind the counter. She waved back; her smile was weak, not forced, but uneasy. She had a hard time connecting with people, especially mortals.

"Hello, I'll just have the usual stuff today," she said quickly, as low as she could, even though they were the only ones in the bakery. The girl nodded and set off to work.

"Here you go, Miss Hinamori, two donuts and a cinnamon bun," She handed a white bag to Hinamori who blushed.

"Please, just Hinamori, or even Momo, its okay!" Hinamori said with that flush visage of hers. The baker's daughter shook her head.

"No no! That would not be appropriate!" She said smiling brightly as Hinamori left the store, unable to curb her gigai's craving, opening the bag, and sticking a donut in her mouth as she pushed out into the street and walked nonchalantly down the road.

By that time, it was getting dark, a hollow had still not appeared yet, nor had she done anything of real merit. She had begun to read a book in the park, but did not really get interested and retired back to her tent early, sitting in the small area aside from the mattress, and pondering the day, and boredom. She wondered if there would be a hollow she could not handle soon, and what she would do in that situation. "Who would come to save me?" she thought, oddly enough, thinking about it with a smile.

Hinamori didn't go to sleep right away; instead, she got on her jacket and went back outside, into the cool night and into the lit city, walking aimlessly in the busy Saturday night streets, feeling a little alone as she watched couples meander by. A sigh escaped her lips every so often as she found herself wandering past the busiest romantic restaurant in town. She saw all kinds of couples there and loathed her lonely assignment more than ever.

With a great heaving sigh, Hinamori walked into a small convenience store and looked for something to buy. She settled on ramen, and walked to the front. The cashier noticed her not, and cared not as she handed him her meager stipend and she was on her way. Like many people, she sat in front of the convenience store and ate her ramen right there. It was spicy, not a favorite of hers, but it was better than some of the things she had tried, just for the sake of her gigai's seemingly malfunctioning hunger.

As Hinamori finished her meal, another person not even a few blocks over was finishing hers and readying for bed. Inoue Orihime bowed to the picture of her older brother and pulled out her futon, she had a big Sunday ahead of her. Hinamori didn't have much to do on days without hollows, but Orihime was always bubbly and busy, and Sundays were no exceptions to the rule.

So two heads touched pillows and their owners' eyes closed. Hinamori actually forwent her usual nightly ritual and just feel asleep, somehow exhausted, even from that rather complacent, dull day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Enter Orihime**

The day began on a not so sunny Sunday, as overcast clouds hung in the sky like a pall on a funeral procession. The damp trees ached as they swayed, and Hinamori was asleep and not waking up unless that alarm on her phone went off. However, on the other side of the town, it was the exact opposite for one carrot haired high schooler. There would be no hell or high water a tumult enough to keep Orihime from her Sunday. And so the clouds did block the rising sun on that morning and a stirring did happen in the Inoue residence.

The girl did take a while to get up when not in a hurry, she lifted her head and looked about the darkened room, thinking it to still be early at first, until she spied the alarm, and her eyes unwillingly opened a little wider. She squeezed a small plush kitty tightly before finally pulling back her blanket and sitting up.

Orihime wore only a pink pair of panties and a white t-shirt. She was someone who loved comfort more than anything in all she did. She sat up and in an un-lady-like, yet somehow cute manner, scratched her bottom, yawning the sleep from her eyes and lips. She got to her knees and fixed her bed before even worrying about clothes. No one else lived in the house, who was there to care? She finally stood up and walked to the outfit in the corner.

Unlike her usual outfit, Inoue had a long baby blue skirt and sun yellow shirt set out, along with her hairpin, as always. She took her time getting even these very easy clothes on. She watched herself in the mirror, as she often did. Not in a vain sort of way, but in an oddly observant sort of way, noting the cute or silly ways her body twisted or tightened as she moved. When she had completed this part of her ritual, it was time for a "nutritious" breakfast, or at least what Inoue thought is a nutritious breakfast.

Taking a bite of a loaf of bread, straight from the bread box, Orihime took out a small yogurt and the quart of milk and set herself to munching away, eventually drinking half the milk, eating half the bread, and downing the entire yogurt. "Yummy!" she exclaimed, her eyebrows perked and her visage alight as it always was. She grinned for a little while longer before getting a pseudo-serious face of determination upon her face.

Orihime got her shoes on and locked the door behind her, walking down the steps from her home and to the street. She took a deep breath and began to walk in her usual demeanor, but on the inside, she was raging. "It's shopping day!" She told herself as if she was a huntress on the prowl and everything was game. Orihime, like most girls, adored shopping, but not just clothes shopping, she enjoyed all kinds of shopping. From getting butter to just picking up some toiletries, it all excited her, probably because of her chipper and bubbly attitude.

Orihime had a huge list today, socks, ice cream, milk, panties, and a new school outfit was among the many things on a list scrawled in an otherworldly handwriting that looked as if it had been composed in a fever pitch.

Orihime's first stop was the clothing store, it was closest to her house, and it carried all the things she would need in relation to clothes on her list. She walked in, giggling at the ringing of the bell as she entered the store. The old woman tailor saw her and immediately walked over, a school outfit in hand. "Here is the school outfit you had me tailor for you,, little Orihime," The old lady said, a woman who had been a friend of Orihime's brother and parents and had tailored most of the school outfits Orihime had ever worn.

Accepting the outfit, Orihime made her way to the undergarments section and selected the things she needed, new underwear, and some new socks, since all of hers had become "holy enough to work at the shrines," as Orihime sometimes joked. Leaving the clothing store, it was time for Orihime to go food shopping. She didn't need much, but it was enough to warrant a trip, and so she was off into town, to her favorite grocer.

It had not been long since her last visit, yet she was always overjoyed to be surrounded by so many goodies. She looked around the outside fruit stock before heading inside for the milk and other products she needed. Bread was first, and Inoue wanted something different. She looked around and finally found a loaf of Italian bread, something she didn't have very often; it was a definite buy. Alongside that were more milk, and some fast cooking rice. When all of this was ready, including a nice bottle of ramune, Inoue paid and left the grocer, nearly done with her errands, only a few hours into her Sunday.

Orihime dropped all of her things off home, she had a few more, things to do this morning, and all of them were fun. A rumble in Inoue's tummy came soon after she had restocked her refrigerator, and Inoue had a sudden craving for frozen yogurt and fruit. She knew a nice ice cream shop very close, and knew it would be a wonderful Sunday treat to stop in and get something to eat.

Again, she left her house; she zipped her jacket, a soft breeze throwing cold air through the street; papers, and leaves shivered down the block as the wind subsided. Without a second thought, she walked down the stairs again and headed back into town, arriving at her favorite ice creamery not long after. A huge grin came over her, looking over all the flavors listed in the display case, each more tantalizing than the last, so much so she could not choose just one.

"Strawberry and chocolate-vanilla swirl, please," She said, arresting a line of drool that peeked over the edge of her mouth. The man obliged, taking a large, delicious looking waffle cone and running a mound of delicious strawberry and swirl into her cone. As he did, Orihime spoke up, "Fruit topping please," her eyes growing wider than the opening of the cone.

As she took one more look at the cone in process, it reached her hand, and the yen reached the man behind the counter's hand. He looked at Orihime with disdain, not at her, but at the prospect of his own job of serving kids ice cream. He tried to crack a smile as she left but was unable to; even with Orihime's sugary, "Goodbye!" as she left the store.

Orihime paid the dreary creamery man no mind, sitting on a small bench outside the ice cream shop, licking on her cone as if it were summer and he heat would soon reduce it too nothing but a milky soup. Each lick brought her a brain freeze at that pace, and she soon found herself swooning, holding her head cutely.

"Owwie, owwie, ice cream headache," She whimpered like a scalded child, which suited her usual demeanor. With a little more griping, she stood up. "Gotta get moving," she said, as if her next activity was of vital importance. She hurried off, yogurt in hand.

Inoue was in the arcade a few minute later, her cone was finished, her hands slightly sticky from the dredges of it. She stood over a game machine and looked quite engrossed, playing merrily, inserting loose change from her coat pocket at times when she lost, not a frown at any point. Orihime loved these mindless little diversions, win or lose, and would save a week's pocket change for a couple of hours at the arcade on Sundays.

It was there that Orihime was to be found for the next three hours, going from machine to machine and having her fill of silliness and fun for the day. Well, for this part of the day, at least. When she had put in her last coin and lost her last man, she sighed. "Poo, that was my last man," She said unhappily, straightening her jacket and pulling down on her skirt so that it fit more comfortably, it had ridden up her waist when she was playing that seated racing game, she had gotten into it quite a bit.

Orihime exited the arcade, her mind elsewhere, off in wonderland, where it, many times, was to be found. She giggled to herself here and there, taking the scenic route home through the park. She strolled idly, just looking around at the leaves of the trees, still green, but losing their vitality for the crisp coolness of autumn. Places like this made Orihime most at home, even when she felt alone and at odds with the world.

She had her usual, elated grin plastered to her visage as she took each step and savored it, very antithetical to how she ate her yogurt cone earlier. Totally spaced out, she just enjoyed the latter half of her afternoon, considering this Sunday a remarkable success and perfect time spent, as she usually did. Only when she was wholly engrossed did she even notice another presence in the park. It was faint but it was obvious, it was a shinigami.

"Must be Rukia's replacement," She thought, thinking to Rukia and Ichigo for a moment, remember the past couple of months. "We've all been overworked," She said with a sigh. "I hope Rukia enjoys her time off with Ichigo…" Orihime said, referring to the small vacation Ichigo was taking, during the fall break, with Rukia. They had gone to Soul Society. Orihime didn't know the shinigami whose reiatsu she could feel and thought that must be because they were in a gigai, that miniscule presence belied another equally faint power drifting on the wind.

This power was much less overt, much more incognito, mixing with local sources, even in the open. This was the reiatsu of a powerful hollow, almost a Gillian type. But Orihime didn't even feel it, too preoccupied with daydreams and insignificant observations. Hopefully Hinamori had felt this as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Fight Inside the Impure Pall

**Chapter 3: The Fight Inside the Impure Pall!**

Orihime was home and sitting down as six o'clock struck on the clock in the main room of her house. She sighed and sipped at a little bit of tea as she turned on the television and proceeded to watch cartoons. The lingering presence she had not felt before had disappeared totally; it was silent in Karakura town, despite it being not even all that dark. Orihime yawned complacently; she scratched at the back of her head and opened up a manga near the desk, reading with less than enthusiasm.

In the park, Hinamori stood outside her tent, flexing after a mid afternoon nap. Having been asleep, she missed the presence of the hollow from before. She looked around hesitantly before exiting the thing wood where she was hidden. The park was not dark, but besides one couple near the edge of the street, there was no one around, it was obviously an early Sunday for most people.

"No hollows today, none yesterday… I don't like this," Hinamori said to herself with that usual foreboding, downer attitude she was known for since Aizen's betrayal. Her hair was tied back in the usual bun and she wore the same clothes from the day before, not caring much, since it was just her gigai and not her actual body. With a sigh and a deep breath, she took herself to the edge of the park and stared out around her, still nothing.

Shaking her phone, as if it were lying to her, she despondently frowned. Her body was impatient, even the gigai was responding to her wariness of the lack of hollows about. It was not odd for a day to go by without one hollow, but two was not very common, hollows always hungered, and their number was innumerable. It was quite unreasonable to think that none would appear in two days, especially in a city with many people, and many spiritually adept people, at that.

Hinamori's head ached for a moment, and she knew not why, she found herself panting, on her knees, shaking with a cold sweat, as if the air had been choked out of her. She reeled, feeling as though she had been hit like last night once more. Everything shook, a dense reiatsu was evident, her phone was chirping madly, in a captain obvious tone. Hinamori quickly stood up; she couldn't believe the immense spirit pressure descending so quickly. A part of her wanted to run in the opposite direction, but knowing her duty, she hurried back to her tent and separated soul from gigai.

Bounding from the treetops, to the building, unseen by the people below, Hinamori dove and jumped to where the signal and pressure was quickly increasing. A hollow wasn't there yet, it was so powerful that it merely coming to earth was causing its power to display itself. Finally, Hinamori saw it, a gigantic, ominous black cloud, and a crack in the sky, ripped open by the hands of a giant hollow.

The arms of it came out first, its mask breached the sky as it force its way between the barrier of Hueco Mundo and the human world. Finally, it ripped through all the way, and as it did, it let out an unearthly, roar, unlike any she had ever heard from a hollow. It was blood curdling, shaking earth, and soul in one motion. The spiritual pressure increased tenfold, sending Hinamori's pulse alight. She gripped her blade.

Standing more colossal than a two-story building, the color of lime-scaled slate, and a mask that resembled the face of the most frightening demons one could imagine, streaking with red as only the most powerful non-arrancar hollows were. This hollow had yellow eyes behind its mask, and it pierced everything it bore on. The entire world seemed to fit inside its massive ocular cavities. Hinamori could only shake, she suddenly felt out-matched.

The hollow initially paid no mind to Momo, opening its mouth behind the mask and letting out what seemed to be a sigh at first. It lasted a moment before it was evident that it was not a sigh at all, but something far more forbidding. A thick green miasma spilled forth from around the edges of the mask, spilling into the street, as Hinamori jumped upon a building to avoid it. It spoke not, noting Hinamori for the first time; it only bore its eyes at her with carnal, vicious, and devilish ferocity and intent. A hand extended, and Hinamori moved.

"Snap! Tobiume!" She shouted as her sword releasing as she tumbled to the roof of another building. The hollow did not seem intent on mindless destruction, and moved its hand before crushing the building, turning to meet a barrage of energy blasts from Tobiume, while Hinamori jumped from building to building, making sure not to fall to the green smoke below, which she knew would mean certain death to any individual who breathed it.

Her blasts crashed harmlessly on the titanic hollow, it's seemingly diamond strength skin making it impossible to pierce, even with her incredible kido ability. So she knew it would be only a direct and powerful slash to the mask that would bring down this slow, but incredibly powerful looking hollow. It growled low in its throat, from behind the mask, this made it echo and sound terribly distant and foreboding. The hollow's body moved suddenly, and quickly, nearly grabbing Hinamori as she ducked and grabbed onto its arm, diving her sword into its armor-like skin to stay on.

When it had stopped moving to use its other hand to grab at Hinamori, she ran up its forearm, expending kido in flash steps, until she jumped right at its mask. Time stood still, she moved closer at what seemed like a snails pace, and her hands raised Tobiume high above her head, ready to cut down. But as she neared to swing down the sword of her soul, a flash of yellow came from the eyes of the hollow.

A crimson hair that looked as if it were made of tentacles, breathing that same green miasma, rose from behind the towering mask of the hollow, just as Hinamori had swung her sword. A blade of red light careened towards its mark as tentacles raced at theirs, it seemed like a clash, and almost all of the attacking arms of hair were destroyed, but one hand slithered past, and as the blast from Tobiume hit the mask of the hollow, so did the green smoking red tentacle pierce Hinamori's stomach. She flopped in midair, hitting a building, choking on her own air as she fumbled to breathe.

It all at once hurt so bad, Hinamori could not take it, she could not cry, she could not move as her body flailed on its own accord, voiding itself, and surely Hinamori thought she would die there. She closed her eyes and saw Aizen; her heart lifted and scorned itself at the same time, elated to see the one that had tried to murder her. But unabashed she began to move into the light, only to feel something pull at her hand, pulling her back.

She opened her eyes and was veiled by an orange glow. She blinked for a moment, her stomach hurt, but not all so badly.

"Miss Hinamori, thank goodness! I thought it was too late!" Orihime said, standing upon the building Hinamori had collapsed. She did not know when or how Inoue had joined her, but she had been saved. Hinamori looked behind Inoue, the hollow was still there, but it was in a fit of rage, unable to see because of its sundered eye area, caused by Hinamori's attack.

"Orihime, that hollow…it is a menos…" Hinamori said, weakly, the poison still coursing through her. The Soten Kisshun, her magical regenerative field, was being interfered with by the reiatsu of the hollow, and it did not seem like it could nullify the poison even if it had sealed the wound. Orihime did not waiver in the face of the now blinded, enormous hollow as it stomped around, causing cratered impressions in the street. "Orihime, its mask is weak…." Hinamori said lastly, passing out as a new wave of pain from the poison came over her.

It had been a while, but Orihime was not scared, she had fought hollows before, and she had gotten stronger, and more iron-willed than she had ever been. She stood still; the hollow's tentacles were searching the area for prey, and finally locked on Hinamori and Orihime. Inoue gulped and got ready. She was not nervous, wasn't scared, she put her hands forward.

"Tsubaki, come forth!" She called, and from her small hairpiece came the rowdy black garbed fairy. He immediately kicked Orihime in the head with his tiny booted foot.

"Whats with keeping me locked up for so damned long you crazy bitch!" He yelled, berating Orihime as he usually did when summoned, his anger, and lust for striking knew no bounds. Inoue had grown strong; she grabbed Tsubaki with a gentle hand and guided his view to the hollow. He stopped protesting at last. "Finally, this is what I'm talking about!" He yelled.

"Alright Tsubaki," Orihime began, the hollow had become focused enough to stop its writing at last. Its tentacles at the ready, green smoke billowing into the sky without let up, it turned the entire overcast night sky to a pale green above them. "Tsubaki, the mask, go around the tentacles and hit the mask, full force, he's slow, and huge, there's no way he can stop you," Orihime said confidently, her confidence not one to hide doubt, but strong and firm, and actually made of inner strength rather than self reassurance.

"Alright," He answered; this was a short response for the heady fairy.

The hollow raged, the tentacles zeroed in on Orihime, and a giant hand came down on her, she waited, it closed in, and she waited. The moment of imminent impact came, and she grinned.

"Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun….I reject!" Inoue shouted at long last; the black little man becoming a flaming orange glow, ripping through the hand of the armored hollow and tearing apart all the tentacles that dared come near. It approached the mask of the hollow the again, time stood still. A large red orb suddenly appeared as victory was in reach. A cero, it was, the most powerful of hollow attacks, a concentrated blast of evil reiatsu, supreme, nearly unblockable. But Orihime did not waiver, and neither did Tsubaki. Time seemed to clap back together.

A flash of light came; Tsubaki barreled right through the fledgling cero before it could be ready to fire, and struck the mask of the hollow. For a moment nothing happened, until a yellow light streamed from the crushed eye holes of the hollow, pouring outward as an orange beam and finally exploding, awash in green blood-like ooze, from the back of the hollow's cranium. Tsubaki had done it.

The hollow was mortally wounded, but it did not fade away, it fell backwards, through a portal it ripped with its last bit of strength, like a terrible nightmare, it was gone, and its aftertaste upon waking was the poison still inside its initial target. Orihime was not concerned with the hollow, in its condition, even if it did live, not even the regenerative atmosphere of Hueco Mundo would heal it fast enough for it to be bothering them any time soon, her real concern was now on Momo and her increasingly worsening state.

Orihime stood on that roof for almost fifteen minutes, concentrating all her power into repressing the toxin. But there was no avail; she could not banish its power totally. So Hinamori found herself in Orihime's amazingly strong arms, being whisked to the park, where Orihime had sometimes seen her, and not initially remembered who she was.

It did not take that long at all, the breeze to their back and the cool night enveloped them as Orihime entered the park. When there Hinamori finally found the power to open her eyes and say something. She could faintly smell her campsite, and direly wanted to get back in her gigai, hoping it would stem the obvious reiatsu drain caused by the hollow's deadly humor.

"Orihime?" Hinamori rasped gently as a drizzle permeated the clouds from above and dripped with little "plips" and "plops" upon the sidewalk and ground.

"Yes, Miss Hinamori?" Orihime asked, her eyes were averted, for a moment, up to the sky, being hit by droplets of the angels' tears.

"My gigai….it's just in front of us…in the woods…" was all Hinamori was able to say before her eyes widened with excruciation, the pain subsided, but Hinamori's eyes closed I earnest and she was out cold. She would not wake for some time, not when put in her gigai, and not throughout the entire ride back to Orihime's abode.

"You're not sleeping in a tent while you're injured," Orihime said, mostly just talking to herself, knowing Hinamori could not hear her when she was unconscious. She hoisted her light, clingy load a little higher, as they crossed the threshold into the home Orihime called her own.

Wiping her brow, and trying to put everything else out of her mind, Orihime made an extra bed for her new roommate, and then went about getting ready to continue treatment of the poison.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Symptoms Build**

Orihime worked all through the night, and got Hinamori as comfortable as she could, making sure the extra futon was fluffed and cozy. She had not so much as heard a peep from her all night, and it was a bit unnerving. Orihime wished she had gotten there sooner. If she had been there a minute before hand, maybe Hinamori would not be in this state. There was no more cursing herself over it would do. She had her sleeves rolled up high and was trying to bring down a fever that was turning Momo's delicate face a shade of scarlet.

What truly unnerved Orihime were the things that Hinamori was saying in her restless sleep. She cried out, turning this way and that in an uncomfortable manner. Not even rest was a sanctuary for her, under the pain of the poison. "Aizen, Aizen!" Hinamori called out as Orihime was dabbing her forehead. This shocked Inoue, and she tumbled backwards onto her bottom.

"Oww…" Orihime muttered gently, messaging her bottom for a moment, still intently listening to her patient.

"Aizen, my dear Aizen, please don't leave me…" Hinamori's voice came out rasp, pained, and in shock. From what Orihime had heard about the events that had transpired between them, it seemed like these dreams would be nothing but suffering. Orihime tried in vain to wake Hinamori from her slumber, but it was obviously poison induced, and it did not seem like Hinamori would be getting up that night.

Orihime did not notice the time, finally seeing it and gasping. It was three in the morning, and Hinamori's condition had not let up. A guttural sigh escaped Orihime. She coarsely wrung her hands, mad at herself for not being able to do anything. She had stabilized her patient, but could do nothing to fully neutralize the poison.

"Hinamori looks okay, I should try to get some sleep as well," Orihime surmised, pulling her own futon closer to Momo's and getting on it, adjusting her pillow. Her carrot head hit the pillow exhaustedly, and she nearly passed out right there. Before she did, she managed to turn on her side, facing Hinamori, just in case.

Inoue's eyes closed, she sluggishly tried to stay asleep one more moment, but could not muster the ability. Finally, she gave in, letting her brow droop, and instantly snoring, quite placated at long last, after a night of much toil. Her sleep was much less troubled than the one of the little shinigami next to her. And though she slept through the entire morning and almost to the stroke of noon, Hinamori found not solace, nor rest in her sleep.

Waking over fifteen hours after her injury, Momo looked about the room, and she suddenly knew not where she was. She whipped her head about in a bewildered manner before seeing the red head of her hostess. Finally, she could feel the memory return, the hollow, the rescue, and even all the work Orihime had done the night before.

Even as she could feel the poison burn in her veins as she got to her feet, Hinamori tried to stumble for the exit, not wishing to trouble the girl who had worked so very hard to take care of her. She didn't want to be worried over any longer, a pride she had developed since Aizen's departure. It was more of a façade, and her fear of being left behind once more, but it still force Hinamori to her feet and hobbling.

Orihime was already awake; she had just been lying on her opposite side since almost ten in the morning, thinking and making small observations with Hinamori's breathing. The pained and severely interfered gait of the footsteps was quite apparent to Orihime, who switched sides once more and addressed Hinamori.

"I won't let you leave, Miss Hinamori," She said in a grave tone, like a doctor to a patient whom professed their wellness throughout excruciating pain. Hinamori froze to the spot, finally turning around with a shamed blush.

"Please….I am well…" She tried, but was immediately cut off by Orihime, who stood quietly and walked in a motivated step, towards Hinamori.

"No more of this silliness, you are not well, and you will not sleep in a cold tent while you are ill!" Inoue's voice was stern, she had Hinamori by the shoulders and gently helped her back to the bed, but they did not get that far before the sound of water hitting the floor was obviously. Hinamori could only blush, knowing what she was doing and not able to control it. Orihime however had to look down and see what the matter was.

"I am irrevocably sorry, and ashamed, please…please let me clean up this mess," Hinamori ventured, but found herself in Orihime's motherly hold once more. She eased Hinamori to the futon.

"No, its fine, please lie down, do not worry about your wetness, we will get you washed as soon as I have cleaned this," and without disgust, Orihime took her scrub brush from the underside of the sink and began to dig it into the carpet, cleaning it of the small puddle Momo had made. Orihime had noticed it the night before, when she rescued Hinamori, how she was totally soiled in shinigami form when she found her. She did not seem to find this too odd, considering the strength of the toxins at work, toxins that permeated body and soul.

When the entire carpet expanse that had been moistened was cleaned, Hinamori once more was in Orihime's hands, being lead to the bathroom. Feebly she tried to fight Orihime's hands as they innocently took off skirt and shirt. But in the end, Hinamori was much too weak, too weak to walk straight, to fight her hands, and as evident from before, too weak to hold her bladder, even in gigai form.

Orihime's cheeks were rosy as she helped a stripped Hinamori into the bath and sat turned on the water. "Please sit down when you can and adjust the water to your liking. But don't stress yourself with trying to wash, I will be back with shampoo from the kitchen," Hinamori could not protest before Orihime had left, rushing to the kitchen.

Inoue only found the courage to return after she heard the water shut off. She gathered her courage in the form of a deep, deep breath, and finally walked into the steamy bathroom. Her sleeves were rolled up and she gently lowered herself to the edge of the tub, kneeling beside Hinamori. "I will be as gentle as possible," Orihime said politely.

"Thank you….thank you for going through so much trouble for me…" Hinamori whispered, extremely guarded and shy at the moment. Her blush was indistinct, blending with the redness of her warmed skin.

Orihime closed her eyes and grabbed the loofah; she squeezed the multi-purpose body and hair care shampoo onto the small body puff and began to message a thick lather into Hinamori's skin. When her naught bits were covered in foam, Orihime once more opened her eyes and now, with the distractions and private areas hidden, she began to wash Hinamori's hair and back.

"Not to sound rude, Miss Hinamori, but you do not seem to keep your gigai in the best of condition…I do not think living in a tent in the woods is the best place for a lady shinigami…" Orihime didn't like seeing people in disrepair, her motherly, overly loving instincts kicked in and she feverishly would begin doting and taking care of them, as she was doing now. "Please lean back," Orihime said after a moment of scrubbing Hinamori's scalp. She dipped Momo's raven-covered head into the water, cleansing it of dead skin and suds.

"Thank you…" Hinamori whimpered again, still feeling woozy, and grievously in Orihime's debt as the plug was pulled and Inoue helped Hinamori from the water.

"Don't mention it," Orihime said, not feeling much like having someone owe her something. She helped Hinamori to the center of the bathroom and began to dry her off, halfway through however came the same pattering sound and that same mark of redness across Hinamori's face. Orihime did not need to look this time; all she did was waiting for the sound to cease before dropping the used towel to the ground. "Do not worry…" She said, quieting Hinamori before she could speak.

Hinamori felt Orihime's eyes on her bare legs and she turned a darker crimson, it covered her body and she felt immensely warm. "Am I soiled once again?" She asked with a feeble voice, unable to articulate with Orihime so close to her bare frame.

"You are fine, but this poison's effect on you will not do, we cannot be cleaning up puddles, and we surely cannot stop you from getting plenty of liquids…" Orihime trailed off. Finally, she pulled a large shirt she had gotten from her drawer, over Hinamori's bare body. The large pink t-shirt covered all of Hinamori's private regions, extending down to her thighs.

Orihime ushered Momo out of the bathroom, making sure to get her to the futon before letting go. "Please lay down, I must find something," Orihime went off to look through a box of old clothes for something. She knew it was still there, she had not sold any of the sentimental clothing from her younger days, and finally her face of scrutiny was dissolved when she reached the bottom of the box.

Hinamori tried to see what Orihime was holding, but when she saw it, she still would not believe it. "I am not bed-wetter Momo any longer!" she protested suddenly and without volition. She quieted herself and apologized to Orihime. "I am sorry, old memories…" Orihime was taken aback a moment, but knelt down anyway.

"Yes, I understand she said," setting down the pieces of cloth. "These will not do, for long, I was sure I had more than one set…" she said to herself and then looked up. "Please bear this until I can go out and get proper garments for this," she said, showing Hinamori the bunny covered pink diaper cover. "I wore these when I was about ten; I wet the bed a little in those days,"

Hinamori bowed her head, turning puce; she too had wet the bed, though for a much longer stint than until she was ten. She had almost graduated the shinigami academy before the nickname "bed-wetter Momo" was obsolete. "I…do not…" she began to protest, before she knew it would do no good. She shook her head. "Never mind," she said with reluctance, truly wanting to refuse the cloth diaper.

"I am deeply sorry," Orihime said with an uncharacteristic frown. She piled the cloth inserts atop the diaper cover and gently eased Hinamori into a fully reclined position. "I will preserve as much dignity as I can for you," she reassured, slipping the diaper under Hinamori who was turning a darker shade of red by the moment. It was only as Orihime folded the cover up that Momo removed her hands from her middle.

She could hear the snaps, though she closed her eyes tight and wished it were not real, she could feel the drawstrings make the top of the cover snug. And though it was repulsive to think she had fallen back to that degrading nickname, there was still that bit of Hinamori that was glad she was alive at this moment to feel this shame, and grateful to be cared for by someone. Without Orihime she would surely not be worrying about wearing a diaper, she would be dead.

"Thank you…may I rest now…Orihime?" Hinamori said in a fragmented mix of shame and restless tiredness.

"Yes you may, I must go out and get some better diap…I mean protective underwear anyway, just you rest…" Orihime said, catching herself before saying the soul disheartening "d" word. Hinamori would barely have suffered from the word, but it was her promise to preserve as much of Hinamori's pride as she could.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Mommy Orihime**

Orihime stepped out the door just after she knew Hinamori was no longer awake. She could not retain a deep and unhappy sigh. She didn't like making people uncomfortable, and by the moment, she felt worse and worse for having made Hinamori wear the diaper. However, something inside had felt very good when she was diapering Hinamori. She had felt the same thing when she was washing Hinamori as well. Something about caring for someone was more than just satisfying, or invigorating. It was fun, so very amusing to see even that complacent smile or apprehensive blush on Hinamori's face as she let Orihime do what she figured Orihime thought was right.

Inoue found new strength as she took the steps down two at a time, hitting the street with a springy step, making for the drug store. She didn't know what she would be looking for. She'd never bought diapers for anyone; she hoped she wouldn't screw it up. Being the ditz she was, Orihime was counting on a miracle that she could pick up the right things, and not have to make another trip, leaving Hinamori unguarded ad unattended.

The streets were cold, damp and the smell of wet pavement permeated the air and everything around it. The overcast clouds made midday seem like twilight. It wasn't as depressing as you would think, at least for Orihime it wasn't. She strolled nonchalantly down the block, into town, and eventually to where all of her usual stores were lined up. She knew almost every proprietor, or at the very least, an employee in the store. She hoped that the drug store check out clerk would not be one of those people she knew. Then again, she didn't know the schedules of everyone she had ever met, so it was a risk that was unavoidable.

With a deep, bracing breath, Orihime walked down the rest of the street. She took her time and window-shopped in the other stores before finally stopping at the pharmacy. She cased the joint from the window, seeing if she could make out a floor plan before going on in. Like a sneaky little thief she made a visual map of the floor plan, blacking out in her heads all of the places she knew diapers were not, to minimize he chance of actually needing to ask where they were, or worse, looking nervous in getting them.

Finally, a hand extended and wrapped around the handle of the door. It was cold and foreboding; it only made Inoue more nervous than she already was. She took one more deep breath, her arm pulled at the door and it would not budge. She pulled again and nothing. She exhaustedly and embarrassedly saw the word "push" written window near the handle. She visibly reddened before pushing the door in. The shop smelled like vitamins and makeup, just like most pharmacies. But the smell overwhelmed her, making it a bit hard to think. She couldn't figure out why she was so nervous. The diapers weren't for her!

When the wave of trepidation had passed, Orihime found herself in the cosmetics aisle. She looked left and right at the end of the small row and finally walked down from the back of the store, where most people would not see her. Inoue looked down each aisle with a nervous stare. Even though the store was only sparsely filled, Orihime's every steps felt like they were impeded by lead shoes. She picked up her feet only for them to slam back down against the floor in fear. At last, when her head turned for the fifth time, she could see the packages with figures of protective briefs on them. She took an inch closer to make sure they were not for babies and then inched ever closer into the aisle.

She closed her eyes and finally took a big step into the aisle. She opened them to look upon the packages. Lots of blues and greens, she was actually surprised her fear of the aisle would be so contradicted by the pleasing pastels. For once, her apprehension was put to rest, with renewed vitality she set to the task at hand, as she had undertaken all the other set before her. She looked at each package, gauging thickness, and sizing. She thought back, comparing her own hips with Hinamori's.

"I would be a large…" she said holding the package, inspecting its measurements with interest. "Then to be safe, it would be wise to get Hinamori the medium, just incase small would be a little too tight or uncomfortable," She nodded to herself with this realization and went one shelf lower. She peeked around for a medium. Finally, her hands closed around the medium package. She inspected it like the others, to make sure it was the same make and brand. She compared it to the ones above it. Tapes, waistband, absorption level, all were identical to the larger model. These would do.

Now the hard part came, and in a way, Orihime was once more stricken with an unsettling inability to act with confidence. She gulped deeply, and as quickly as she had kicked off the leaden boots, she had reapplied them, inching towards the counter as if the diapers weighed tons. She limped like that for the length of an aisle before one of the clerks saw her, and that blush on her face. The girl, no older than Orihime, came over, smiling cheerfully. "Is this all?" She asked, taking the package from Orihime.

Without being able to protest, there only a sudden look of shock that faded to a questioning on Orihime's face. "Umm…I'll get the few other things I need…" Orihime answered shakily. She found herself in the food section; getting chicken soup and then some aspirin, with a bit of hesitation, she grabbed baby wipes as well, knowing that would speed changes. Finally, as if the weight had been lifted again, she walked to the awaiting clerk, who had already scanned the diapers.

"Anything else?" The girl asked, looking up as complacently and disarmingly as anything. Inoue could not be nervous with that uncaring smile at her.

"Nope!" Orihime blurted suddenly, a minor blush appearing.

"Okay then…" The cashier said simply, showing Orihime the total, to which she promptly paid. She was relieved to see the black plastic bag, a bag that no one could see through. Thus making the walk home a lot less difficult then it would have been with a pack of diapers easily visible through a clear plastic bag.

Gripping the bag, as if holding it any looser would cause it to open and spill the contents on the wet pavement, Orihime briskly paced down the blocks to her house. She tried not looking to either side, or taking the time to take in the scent of the air, as she normally did. She was not accustomed to walking like this, so rigidly, unnaturally, and in such a hurry. She was used to the flowing, graceful dash of being late to school, or the ambient, lazy meander of an after school afternoon, but this hurry unsettled her, and she finally calmed her pace, trying to relax. She didn't know what she had to be hurrying for, maybe she was nervous, or maybe…for some reason…excited.

Orihime took the steps slower than she had coming up. She reached the top and was suddenly out of breath, it was like the stairs had quadrupled in number. Orihime felt kicked in the chest, so worn out, so quickly. With a weary hand, she looked at her watch. She'd not been out even an hour, and so she felt as if she'd hurried back just for the sake of being next to Hinamori again. It was an odd feeling, but she didn't mind it, and made to turn her key in the door.

Inoue expected an empty house, thinking Hinamori might have left, but there she lay, sleeping gently. Orihime got a bit closer and looked over Momo. She was breathing a little more stably, but her breaths were raspy and laborious. She tossed and turned gently. The shirt Orihime had given her had ridden up considerably. The pink diaper stared at Orihime, the cute bunnies were reassuring, just as they were when Orihime was the one wearing the diaper. She smiled and sat against the wall near the bed.

For an hour or so, Orihime just stared at Hinamori. She would move a piece of hair from her face, or pull up the sheets now and then, when Hinamori would disturb them with her movements. It was almost five when Hinamori finally stirred once more. Her eyes opening with a weariness matching how Orihime had looked upon arriving home. She sat up, the thickness of the diaper alerting and embarrassing her anew. She did not fret long.

Hinamori shook her head a little and stretched. She could feel a cool moistness on her as she did. The diaper was considerably wet. Hinamori didn't bother even getting upset over it. It was foolish to cry over actually using a diaper for the purpose in which it was assigned, no matter how much she did not want to have done it. Orihime had noticed Hinamori by now, she was on her feet, kneeling beside Hinamori just as she had done before.

"Feeling better?" Orihime ventured, handing Hinamori what she knew would be a well-appreciated glass of water. Hinamori accepted, wiping her brow of a cold sweat that had become apparent as Hinamori's movements caused a comforting breeze to overtake her. Momo could only blush as she contemplated Orihime's question.

"Ummm….I'm…just a little….ya know….umm," Hinamori tripped over her words. Orihime looked over Hinamori with a keen glance.

"Wet?" Orihime asked, putting one finger to her cheek, speaking before thinking, then turning red as she put her hands over her mouth.

"Mmhm…" Momo admitted, poking the t-shirt back down over the diaper, even though that would only impede changing it, in the long run.

"Don't you worry, I bought some more…ya know…" Orihime said with a smile. To this Hinamori blushed and laid herself on the bed.

"You can call them diapers…that is what they are," Hinamori said with a bit of courage, raising the shirt, finding no reason to truly fear being around, or seen by Orihime, the same person that had healed and dressed her wounds, cleaned her soiled body, and even diapered her the first time.

"Yes…I went and got more diapers…as well as some soup, and medicine to ease your pain," Inoue stated, slowly pulling on the strings keeping the diaper snug. When she was finished, she undid the metal grommets on the cloth diaper.

"Soup sounds very nice, thank you for going to all this trouble for me…" Hinamori said with her first smile in a while. She felt the fresh air touch her bare skin as the sodden diaper inserts fell off of her loins.

"No, don't you worry one bit, it's the thing any moral person would do, I could not just have left you there, injured and poisoned, that would have been very bad!" Orihime cooed, taking hold of a wipe from the box, gently sweeping the region above Hinamori's tender private areas. Swallowing her apprehension, Inoue too her hand and moved it down lower, making sue to rub Hinamori's backside and center clean of any residue, ensuring no rashes.

Hinamori could only gasp and nod as the cool wipe made her skin tingle with goosebumps and feel ever so warm at the same time. Before she could even detest the idea of the diaper, Orihime was sliding it under her bottom. The thickness of this diaper was much less compared to the super-bulky cloth one, but the padding was so much more soft and inviting, actually making Hinamori unable to complain too much, on the inside as, the diaper was brought up over her. She heard the snap and crinkles of the tapes, and finally she felt the small pressures on her abdomen cease.

Orihime looked over her work. The diaper was straight and the tapes were almost perfectly symmetrical. She helped Hinamori back into a sitting position, making sure she looked comfortable.

"If you would like not to look at the diaper every time you sit up…I have pajama bottoms…" Orihime offered.

"No…it is alright, I would not wish to complicate changing with extra clothing to get in your way," Hinamori said courteously, just as her stomach began to rumble. "But if it would not be too much trouble…that soup would be really nice right now," Hinamori stated, blushing at the boldness of her tummy.

"Okay, then. You rest now, Hinamori, you may sit up at the table if you like. And don't worry one bit about having to be changed…I'll do that for you," Orihime instructed, handing Hinamori two aspirin with the little leftovers of her glass of water. "Take these; they will make the pain a little duller. I will go off and make the soup now; I think we are both very hungry!" Orihime said with exuberance, getting into the motherly role with an ease only she could have expected of herself. "Behave yourself, Miss Hinamori," Orihime said with mock seriousness, making the two of the giggle giddily, as if the pall of sadness was slowly lifting.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Baby Hinamori**

Much time had not past when the smell of soup filled the small apartment. Orihime had abandoned her kooky manner of cooking in lieu of a more traditional approach. She knew Hinamori could not get better if she was afraid of the food she was being served.

With more or less blissful silence, Hinamori laid her heavy hands on the tabletop, staring around the room. She had a habit of looking at the back of the person hosting her at the time. Her eyes were most fixated on a bushy bunch of orange hair peeking out from the kitchen.

Hinamori was able to break her intense gaze and continue to peer around the room inquisitively. Her eyes darted from wall to wall in the warm colored living area. Hinamori found herself looking at the picture of Orihime's brother that stood, as always, upon a small bookshelf. Hinamori realized that anyone kneeling would be directly facing the picture, and it dawned on her that it was a sort of shrine to Orihime's departed sibling. She was so entranced in her gaze, that Hinamori did not notice Inoue sit at the far side of the table and setting a pitcher and a bowl of soup near her.

"That's my brother," Orihime said just loud enough to alert Hinamori, whom whipped her ahead about to pretend like she had not been staring at the picture.

"Ah, I thought so," Hinamori whispered bashfully. She took a deep breath and could smell the soup. "Smells delicious," She remarked, taking hold of a spoon near her. As she lifted her arm, a spasm ran through the muscle. She dropped the spoon frantically and grabbed at her pained appendage. However, as she did that, her other arm spasmed as well. This flaring sensation had Hinamori rolling back and forth. Orihime sprung from her place and crawled to her injured friend.

"Miss Hinamori?! Are you okay?" She asked with a frantic yelp, sitting Hinamori up against her. She looked over the invalid shinigami.

"It's only a spasm," Momo muttered, feeling utterly powerless, and helpless to her situation. Orihime sighed and rubbed Hinamori's arms gently. Hinamori tried to protest. "Really, its okay!" She tried to move her arms again, only to be doubled back over in pain.

"Shhhh…" Orihime cooed, continuing to stroke those tender, disabled arms. Hinamori no longer protested, she merely closed her eyes and whimpered ever so gently. Small tears brimmed her eyes.

"I'm just a burden….I should just go back to Soul Society," She cried, in her mind, having overstepped the welcome of her stay in Inoue's home.

"Nonsense, they can do no better to heal you than I can, if my powers cannot reverse the poison, then there is no salve or antidote in all of Soul Society that can, you're no better there," Orihime said, closing the case on that permanently. Hinamori frowned, knowing she was right.

"But…I'm…" Hinamori started, until a soft palm covered her lips.

"No buts, Miss Hinamori," Inoue said firmly, but with a tone that was like lace and silk to Momo's ears.

"Yes'm," Hinamori said obediently, not even noticing how easily Orihime had pacified her usually unruly nature.

Orihime had just removed her hand when she slid the two of them up to the table, pulling the bowl of soup closer. "Don't worry, just hold still," She told her patient, dipping the spoon into the soup and bringing it to Hinamori's mouth.

For a second Hinamori did not want to eat, feeling quite childish having to be fed, and thought it would be better if she didn't eat, if this was the price. But her closed lips were soon parted by a tingly sensation at her sides. Orihime tickled her gently, and when those strained and stress-bitten lips opened, the spoon of warm soup went in. Hinamori tasted it, it was so warm and well balanced, much more than a canned soup, it was obvious Orihime had tried very hard to make it as best as she could.

The next spoonful arrived unimpeded, and the next and the next; this procedure endured until the bowl was half-empty. Hinamori checked back on Orihime's smiling face every few seconds, and was only reassured all the more each time. When the soup was just a mere puddle in the bowl, Orihime pushed it aside from behind Hinamori and poured her a cup of water from the pitcher she had set up earlier.

"Here, you need to keep up your fluids," Inoue said, bringing the cup to Hinamori's face.

Hinamori drank deep; the cool water filled her, making her tummy feel even fuller. Pleasantly she laid against Orihime, sighing soft breaths in her labored wheeze. Her eyes closed and she fell into a pseudo-sleep, listening to the combined sound of Orihime's breathing and heartbeat. "Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum," was enveloping her by the moment. So much so that she was totally placated, even her pained body unable to stifle the good vibe that Orihime both produced and induced.

Orihime backed herself against the wall, reclining elatedly, deciding she would eat her own soup later, when Hinamori had retired again. The delightful scent of the shampoo that Hinamori's head had been washed in covered the carrot-topped vixen, who, like Hinamori, closed her eyes. Inoue folded her hands over Hinamori's middle. She could feel the plastic cover of the diaper as she did, but ignored it, hugging Hinamori to her.

This slight pressure enhanced a general tingling in Hinamori's middle. She knew what it was and could not fight it for long. Rather than concentrating on it, she took one peeking glance back at Orihime, who had a smile even in rest. This warmth once more filled Hinamori, and did, but barely, drain as tepid moisture filled the front of her diaper. Orihime too felt this sensation, against her hands, but neither of them did anything about it right then.

"Oops…" Hinamori whispered childishly, blushing ever so slightly. To this Orihime could only giggle.

"Oh my…" She said in response, rubbing her hand along the line formed of the moistened wetness detector, stained a blue from the light yellow it had been when it was first put on. Neither were distressed by this, in fact Hinamori was totally fine with it. Orihime too was not as concerned with the actually wetting itself, as she was with manipulating the sodden front of the diaper, stroking it with one hand as she rubbed Hinamori's belly.

"Are you feeling a little better than you were before?" Orihime asked, her hands still wandering without wit or license to their actions, just generally clingy at the point in time.

"Yes'm, actually, I feel a lot better. Not physically better…of course, but better, all the same. Thank you, Orihime," Hinamori whispered, her voice holding a certain affection in it. Affection she had not spoken with in what felt like ages. Ages that had been dark, cold, and lonely, and now they suddenly were not. She was warm, and cared for, in an embrace. She was in an embrace!

"Good to hear it…is there anything else you could need?" Orihime asked, giving a jubilant smile to her ward. Hinamori looked around, seeing if there would be any visual cues to what she would need. Her throat felt a little dry, the same way she had felt while resting. She restrained herself from sucking on her thumb and now couldn't consciously sleep like that anymore, but she knew the only thing that would keep her lips and mouth moist would be something to keep near her tongue as she slept.

"Ummm, do you have something….I could rest in my mouth while I sleep?" She asked, feeling more than odd as she inquired, though Orihime did not show any distaste.

"I'm sure I have something….hmmm…." Orihime wracked her brain, thinking about such an object that would suit Hinamori's needs. She pondered this for a moment before remembering the cache of baby things in the corner of the old clothes box. Without a second thought, she was over in her closet, back in the box, digging into that corner looking for what she had suddenly remembered.

Hinamori watched Orihime's backside wiggle to and fro, as she searched, on her hands and knees, through the box. Her face was one of concentration, just out of view. Finally, one would have been able to see a palpable smile upon her face. She pulled something from the box, taking it right away to the kitchen, running it under warm water.

"It might be a little small," Orihime said, coming over to Hinamori, who had crawled gingerly back to her bed. Orihime extended her hand, opening it to reveal a pink plastic object adorned with a yellow rubber tip.

"A…p-p-pacifier?" Hinamori said, regarding it queerly. She took it without thinking, looking it over as Orihime had done as she washed it.

"Yes, it fits perfectly the criterion for which you need, I'm sorry if you feel insulted by this," She said, her fears put to bed as Hinamori said no more, placing the pacifier in her mouth before Orihime could even finish her sentence.

"'Shanks," Hinamori whispered behind the small pacifier, her eyes closing, laden with pain and fatigue. Hinamori did not consider the time a total loss however, she instead had found a measure of peace, with her new "mommy."

"Oh, don't worry one bit," Inoue whispered, massaging the back of Hinamori's head as she turned on her side with a gentle crinkle and a belabored sigh. Orihime yawned herself, sitting at the wall where she had before Hinamori had awoken. She eventually crawled to the table and began to eat her cool soup, unable to take her eyes off her "baby."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: To Have Been Lonely**

Orihime turned on the television after Hinamori had begun to rest again. She became engrossed in a talk show, still taking quick glances back at Hinamori occasionally, if only to see her, to look upon her, and to know she was there. Something about the presence of another person put Orihime in such a good mood. She actually found the time and patience to do her laundry, feeling ever more motherly as she folded her clothes while watching her little patient sleep, in the room beyond her. Her hands moved slowly, due to her preoccupation with Momo, and not the clothes she was tending to.

Eventually, mommy Orihime found herself at Hinamori's side the minute her chores were done. She had a cool compress in hand, dabbing the warm, perspiring brow of her baby. She had taken great care to make sure she dabbed just well enough to make Hinamori comfortable and not run the risk of waking her from her nap, knowing she would need all her rest at this point. The poison had been dulled just to the point where she could fight it, Orihime had done her best to stem it and keep Momo well, now it was up to Momo herself to finish off the poison.

Having done her best to make Hinamori comfortable, Orihime gently pulled back the covers over her and checked the thick expanse of whiteness around her waist. It was not much more moist than it had been when she went to bed, so it was not a problem as of yet. However, even one more wetting, and little Momo would definitely need changing, and to this, a crooked, naughty grin spread on Orihime's face; it was obvious she enjoyed her role as mommy very much. Her hand pressed against the warm yellowed fluff betwixt her baby's milky, soft thighs. She blushed doing this, knowing it was an invasion of Hinamori's personal space, but she just couldn't avoid doing it, something inside let her hand move, telling her it was all right.

This motion and sensation soon woke Hinamori, who gingerly opened her eyes to see Orihime gently prodding her as she had been doing. Her blush was only slight, as she did not know the perverted manner of this touching and thought it to purely be inspection of her person by her gracious host. However the idea that it might be something more did pass Hinamori's mind, and oddly enough it didn't sound any alarms, she was fine with that as well.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead," Orihime ceased her touch as soon as she saw those eyes on her, with that adorable hint of blush and confusion. She extended a hand and pushed back shards of hair that obscured the amicable, quiet smile that had appeared on Hinamori's lips.

"Good afternoon, Orihime," Hinamori whispered, her voice a little hushed from behind the pacifier that had not left her lips since it had been placed there. Moving her hand to her lips, Hinamori took hold of her pacifier and removed it, so she could speak clearly to her good samaritan. "Could I pwease have something to drink?" She sheepishly ventured, hoping it would not be too much.

"Of course, and this time you can have some nice juice, instead of water!" Orihime said enthusiastically, jumping to her feet and walking into the kitchen, throwing open her cabinet. She saw it immediately, and for a moment wondered why it wasn't put away with the other baby things. Nevertheless, Orihime took the sippy-cup in hand and went to the frig, filling it with fruit juice punch all the way to the top, capping it with a slight pop as it sealed.

Returning to her guest, Orihime put the cooled cup in Hinamori's hands. The queer contraption was unlike any other drinking vessel Hinamori had ever seen, but she managed to get the gist of using it without help. Her lips parted and closed once more around the little spout and she upturned the cup suckling on the plastic to transfer the delicious, satiating juice.

Orihime gushed internally as she saw this, it was so mind boggling cute, she could barely contain her ability to squeal, and she let out a soft titter. Just the sound of the suckling noises, and the concentrating look on Hinamori's face as she enjoyed the juice was enough to send Orihime into paroxysmal spasms. She continued this until the cup was totally empty.

Hinamori's gleeful face turned a darker shade of red when it noticed Orihime's stare, as if her eyes were transfixed on her and unable to move anywhere else. Under this slight tension, she heard a gentle leak springing inside, and a soft pattering, like the sound of a gentle stream of water from a running faucet on a thirsty sponge, was audible. Both looked down to Hinamori's lap, the yellow moisture seeping up and behind Hinamori's middle, causing the better part of the diaper to be stained that off color.

"Umm…umm," Hinamori fumbled cutely, still not so hampered by what she had done.

"Lay down, sweetie," Orihime motioned as she hand done more than once before. But even so, this time felt different, as if there was something new about this mundane diaper change.

"Yes'm," Hinamori answered, lying upon the futon as she had done all the other times. She too felt something different this time around, as if there was some kind of static charge in the air, sending all of her skin's nerve endings into frenzy. As the humid skin trapped behind the diaper met the considerably cooler air, Hinamori's gasp was amplified.

As if by chain reaction, a creeping chill, followed b a rush of warmth ran the length of Orihime's spine, her hand trembling suddenly as it wiped at Hinamori's middle with the damp cloth she had previously used on Hinamori's sweat laden forehead. Her hand steadied as she lifted Hinamori's legs by her ankles and wiped at her pale, yet soft bottom. Orihime had a constant blush, as did her ward. The two of them seemed as if they were both viewing something of "questionable" origin together.

With deft hands and fearless motions returning to her, Inoue took hold of the folded white rectangle that resided in the package along with its fellows. She unfolded it with curious motioned and soon had it sliding under the backside of one rose colored patient. Hinamori could feel the dry cloud encircling her; it made the hair on her body feel as if it were standing on end, even the curly ebony patch that had just been covered in the confines of the plastic diaper. Each tape was affixed in similar professional style until all of them kept the fluffy, puffy, baby pants in one place.

"There, all done, my little Hinamori," Orihime giggled, kissing Hinamori's tummy, forgetting her patient's age, and treating her as if she truly was her baby. She kissed again, moving her way up, finally kneeling right above Hinamori, about to give her one final kiss when the fact of the matter dawned on the two of them. There was a pause; the two of them were frozen in time. The Inoue residence evaporated, and there was nothing left between them but the clothes upon their bodies. Their breathing was the only sound that could permeate the darkness and void that only their eyes could see through. The two girls were all at once lost and found; the still of this moment lasted longer than any other moment of tension in either of their lives.

Neither spoke, neither moved, both were too embarrassed, too shy to stop there, or go further. The only sign that either was still alive was a pinkish blush stretching their faces. The whirlwind in Orihime's mind was torrid, violently lusty; she didn't know why she felt like this so suddenly, but in Hinamori's mind the thoughts were no purer.

Hinamori begged internally to push her neck upwards; she wanted to finish the trail of kisses, for Orihime to complete the path to her own lips. When the darkness became its darkest, two bodies suddenly moved together, albeit quite slower than one would expect, even if they were impeded by embarrassment and their own shy natures.

Orihime felt Hinamori's cool lips touch hers, on them she could taste the remnants of the sugary fruit juice, which only invited that naughty mind to do more. Hinamori too was suddenly not herself. She threw her arms around Inoue's body and held on for dear life. Their lips parted ever so intricately. Orihime couldn't last more than a moment before beginning another kiss. This one lasted much longer then the experiment that was the first., in enveloped the two of them until finally the dark shroud faded and Orihime moved back to Hinamori's side, both looking as if their cheeks had been slapped raw.

"Oh my…" Hinamori rasped excitedly, having not felt so good, despite the illness gripping her, in such a long, long time.

"Mmm, that was good juice after all…" Orihime said ditzily, giggling furiously before gaining some seriousness, "…but that was…wonderful…" She added, turning away when saying it, unable to explain why she would have done that. It was inexplicable, unintended, but nonetheless, and unarguably pleasing.

"…wonderful…" Hinamori mimicked innocently, she too unable to look Inoue dead in the eye. She waited a bit and then spoke up, "…could we do that…again soon?" She found herself asking, as she noticed Orihime sitting up straight and turning the television back on, still a little dazed.

"Maybe…" She said, turning her head to actually acknowledge Hinamori at last, despite her apprehension, and as hard as it was. She had a grin that spanned her entire visage, and her eyes were closed calmly as she added that modifier.

Hinamori sat up and crawled closer to Orihime, she plopped her head in Orihime's lap and looked up at the moving pictures in the queer "television" that she hadn't taken much time to inspect. "Can I watch with you?" She asked shyly, looking at the images and not Orihime, still unable to see the one who had broken her loneliness.

A hand came down and moved the hair away from Hinamori's face once again. It pushed it behind her ear, giving her an unmarked view of the screen. "Of course you can," came the melodic voice of Orihime's braver self. Her hand rested against Hinamori's soft hair, rubbing her temple in a massaging touch, lulling her newfound crush.

Hinamori took in the scent of this odd, yet impassioning mortal girl, who not only healed her, and nursed her, but genuinely seemed to love her as well. It might have been the pan-compassionate heart of Orihime's, or an actual romantic spark, but Hinamori had somehow had one of her emotional wounds mended along with her physical ones. Orihime truly was remarkable, in many ways.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: An Impromptu Return?!**

Evening was still and quiet, watching television had passed quite a bit of time and the sun had already set since then; the long shadows cast by the sun were gone. The Inoue residence was illuminated within by only the flickering images on the television. Hinamori had fallen asleep in Orihime's lap, and her host had not found the time to move her, nor the want, honestly.

Inoue took furtive glances down at Hinamori from time to time, making sure her little Momo was safe and sound. The harsh gasping and sputtering that had permeated Hinamori's sleep the last night over had subsided, and though her breathing was irregular it was not labored. This pacified Orihime, who would have been very stressed if there had been absolutely no signs of any progression of recovery in her patient. Hinamori was still weak, and it would take at least the rest of the week of TLC to recover fully, but it seemed that at this point Momo was past any clear and present danger.

Orihime finally began to ponder the fate of the hollow she had wounded with Tsubaki. She wondered about if and when the beast would come back, she knew this time she would not be able to play around if it came to call. Finally she cast such nonsense out of her mind, thinking about the hollow was not helping her keep her eye on Hinamori, and she was much more concerned with Hinamori than some demon seed somewhere in Hueco Mundo.

After one more television program, Orihime thought it about time to lay Hinamori down in a proper bed. She shifted herself out from under her patient and took the girl in her arms. The trip back to the futon was short, and relatively easy, even though Hinamori fidgeted unhappily as she was moved. Orihime had grasped the ability of holding Momo in place as she carried her. A soft whining gasp came from Hinamori as she was laid on the cool futon and the sheet was pulled up over her. Orihime looked around for the pacifier, and when found returned it to her little one's lips. Suckling began instantaneously and Orihime knew she could take her leave.

At the table, Orihime read over a magazine as the TV played in the background, some insignificant white noise to sooth her as she read. She couldn't really pay attention to what she was reading, thinking about Hinamori, and their diaper change incident. Her face blushed without volition at the thought, but Orihime did not try to stop it, the blush was only proof of how much she had enjoyed it. She'd not felt that happy in a long while. Something about this new role, this new Mommy-Orihime, made her giddy even doing the most mundane and ordinary things for Hinamori.

Orihime wondered if her little one would want a bath when she woke up again. The wipes did clean her, but nothing was as relaxing and purifying as a good old-fashioned bath, with bubbles and suds and love in ever cleansing rub of Orihime's hand. Maybe it was more than just wanting to bathe Hinamori for hygiene, but Orihime longed, even lusted, to touch Hinamori's bare flesh, as long as she could play it off as innocent.

At around nine, Hinamori stirred and fond herself wide awake in the futon, very wet, and a new, more urgent, and embarrassing matter nagging at her. She peered around the room, until she found Orihime washing dishes. She whined gently at first, having forgotten her voice, and finally was able to call out.

"Momm…I mean….Orihime…Miss Orihime!" She was just a bit frenetic in her plea, and this caused Inoue to wheel around quickly and dash to Momo.

"Are you all right? Whats wrong?" Orihime asked, kneeling beside Hinamori and moving back the covers.

Hinamori had her hands around her waist, holding it tightly. She fidgeted unhappily and her face had a strained blush. She looked up at Orihime who, like a ditz, just stared blankly at Momo, unable to realize the urgency of her issue. With an exasperated sigh, Hinamori tried to rise quickly, but a muscle cramp seized her leg and she tripped backwards, into a finally alerted Orihime's arms.

There was only a unique sound in the moment after that, a unique and unpleasant noise that is connotative of only one bodily function. Hinamori's face turned scarlet, more so than the strain that had taken it before, and she welled with massive tears of shame and unhappiness. Orihime finally understood what was wrong and uneasily chuckled as she settled Hinamori back onto the futon.

"I'm….I couldn't …hold it," Hinamori wheezed with such shame that it was bringing her to hyperventilation.

The feeling of runny, squishing mush under her was not as unpleasant as the feeling of actually having made that, but the shame that accompanied such a childish and demeaning act made everything else about it, even the now assaulting odor, so much more traumatizing. Orihime only began with a sigh as she took her nose between two fingers comically.

"It is all right, I cannot be mad, or upset with you because of a natural, and needed bodily function. You must not be shy or shamed by it, I would have been perturbed if you had not needed to go for any longer than you have, it is not good for the colon or tummy to have it held in," Orihime concluded.

She knew she had to dance easily around this topic or risk upsetting Hinamori further, so she left out all words that would make Hinamori feel dirty or bad for what she had done. There was no more gushing from her patient, who had stopped her tearing, and showcased little more than a staining blush as she smiled, touched by Orihime's constant reassurance.

"Now, let's get you into the bath, how does that sound?" Orihime offered, happy to have found she elicited no more tears or crying after her little spiel to Hinamori.

"I like how it sounds…a lot…" Hinamori responded quickly, easing herself back into Orihime's arms.

Orihime felt badly as she took hold of Hinamori, there was no way she was able to ably carry Momo without placing her hands upon the warm and soiled backside of Hinamori's diaper. Momo did not make any fuss, however, when the soft grip held her bottom, even if it did move the not so pleasant mushiness around, because she was sure Orihime would wash her to a unsoiled and creamy shine.

In the bathroom a little odd tango was danced as Hinamori and Orihime shuffled back and forth, both eager to free Hinamori from a messy diaper and get her into the already filling bathtub. Off first came Hinamori's top, and then the diaper, though this happened as if it were in slow motion. Orihime carefully, super carefully even, worked the tapes off and had the diaper rolled up and tapped onto itself in such a way that neither of them had to look at the unfortunate accident.

Hinamori wiggled involuntarily as Orihime gave her legs and bottom a preemptive cleaning with the soothing and cool wipes. The juxtaposition of the warmth of the soiled diaper to the cool wipes was only brought full circle as Momo descended into the warm and sudsy water to soak.

"You enjoy the water for a little bit, then I will wash you," Orihime offered kindly.

"Will you stay here anyway?" Hinamori asked shyly, looking away with caution as she said it with obvious hesitation.

"Sure…that's fine," Orihime replied, closing the lid on the toilet and sitting down upon it, watching Momo enjoy her warm bath.

It didn't take long for Orihime to grow bored and get herself on her knees next to the tube, taking up the loofah with carnal haste, unwilling to wait another moment to wash Hinamori. Momo just reclined further, not wanting to get in Orihime's way as she cleaned her body. The soft sponge made her giggle as it passed over her arms and shoulders, moving its way down her center when her upper limbs were cleansed. She squirmed cutely as the loofah passed her bare middle, cleaning then rest of her in a nondescript manner.

Had her hands been above water it is no doubt that Orihime's shaking would have been noticeable as she cleaned between Momo's legs with the following motion of the sponge up and down her thighs. The blush on her face would be written off as exposure to the warmth of the air, but her quivering body was well hidden by the wall of the tub. Orihime felt considerably lucky that so many elements were on her side, concealing her lusty movements.

It seemed like hours drying Momo's delicate body in the steamy bathroom, but Orihime got through it without blowing her cover of being one hundred percent platonic in nature, even thought Hinamori would not have mind all too much. Knowing a leg spasm could throw Hinamori to the ground, Orihime now faced the task of taking a barely covered, towel draped Momo back into the living room to be dressed and pampered, literally.

Upon the futon, Hinamori wriggled with unrest but stopped as Orihime came over to her. She couldn't realistically hope for a repeat of just a few hours ago so soon, could she? It wasn't meant to be for either of them as two shaking girls worked together in their odd dance to get the diaper under and over Hinamori, and have it taped snugly in place. Exhaustion and restlessness caused a small fountain of wetness to escape Hinamori when the process was done, just so cutely many a round spot of yellow against the white plastic-like pillow panties.

Both of them could not help but giggle at this tension, which relieve the thick fog of stress that would have needed a zanpakuto to cut through effectively. Just as the mingling charge in the air had dissipated there came a buzzing at the door. A shy, and uneager to be seen with just a diaper on, Hinamori pulled on a shirt from the nearby stack of laundry before whipping the sheets over her body and most of her face, just peeking out curiously. Inoue rushed to the door.

Orihime looked through the peep-hole but saw nothing, yet the buzzing came again, and so she knew there was definitely someone there. She opened the door and again saw no one.

"Who was ringing?" She wondered aloud, only to hear a clearing of a feminine throat. Her eyes looked down and she almost fell backwards.

"Am I too SMALL or something?!" Rukia said indignantly.

"Rukia?" Orihime breathed with an air that could only be called: shocked.

"Rukia?!" Hinamori wondered with her head totally hidden now. One of her peers from the academy, and the one who she was temporarily replacing, was standing right there, with Hinamori out of commission and in a "slightly" embarrassing state.

"I'm on vacation for a little bit, Captain Ukitate said I was training too hard, so he said I could come to earth for a little bit and "train" with you guys…" Rukia pushed her way past Orihime and into the domicile. "I am tired of staying at the Kurosaki residence, especially when he is off training anyway, his father creeps me out. I hope you won't mind if I stay here for a while," Rukia muttered as she threw herself onto a big beanbag plush in the corner of the room where she always sat in the Inoue residence.

"I….don't mind…." Orihime said softly, closing the door, happy, that for the moment, Rukia had totally ignored Hinamori in the futon. Now however, she was faced with figuring out how to take care of Hinamori and be a good hostess for Rukia as well, without hurting feelings or embarrassing anyone.

Hinamori knew she would not be able to leave Inoue's residence until she was completely better. The dull pain of the subsiding leg cramp was proof enough that she would not get out the door without falling. It was now a problem of keeping her situation secret from her superior, Rukia. And that was beginning to dawn on the realm of "nearly impossible."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Hiding Out Hinamori**

Rukia lazed about the room without a care for a good while totally ignoring the heap of covers over Hinamori. She pulled out her cell phone and checked it. "No messages, as usual," she thought to herself, pondering who would call her anyway. "And if the phone _did_ go off for a hollow, it certainly would not be my job, with the replacement around," she concluded, folding the phone back down on itself whilst Orihime sat next to Rukia. She was trying to pretend her baby Hinamori did not exist at the moment.

With her mind in the clouds, Rukia did notice the pile of sheets, but at first glance she had figured that Orihime would like to snuggle with lots of sheets, and really didn't expect that Orihime would fix and put away her bed every morning. That seemed, to Rukia, to be something very un-Orihime. The "pile of sheets" however, slowly begin to seem like a bit more, as Hinamori's cramping leg made her fidget, if ever so minutely, in pain. She controlled any sounds however, and just hoped that Rukia was not looking her way when she did move.

Dizzily, Orihime was in fooling mode, trying her best to keep Rukia occupied while she was there, not knowing how long Hinamori could last, cooped up and getting very flustered under the thick covers. Orihime first did her best to keep Rukia's mind off the rest of her house, by bringing out cold glasses of juice to her. When Rukia had begun to drink, Orihime breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she had bought some, if only a small bit of, time. Rukia still cast glances from behind her glass, she felt a reiatsu, if however weak. She finally decided to write it off as an exceptional human and go about her business.

"This is very good juice!" Rukia marveled, loving everything about the human world's foods and drinks. She had downed an entire glass before Orihime could blink. This shocked Orihime, who immediately poured another glass.

"Have another then, I know its good juice, its my favorite," Orihime chimed, hoping this glass would be savored and not guzzled like the prior, lest she run out of Plan A's key ingredient: juice.

Rukia almost refused, but when she thought about it again, the juice looked so mightily tempting that she figured the gigai deserved a reward for being better than the old one she had nearly destroyed countless times. She took this second glass and lifted it to her lips, but this time she was much more conservative about how she drank; as Orihime had hoped, Rukia had decided to enjoy this glass.

Hinamori, under the blanket, was starting to find it hard to catch her breath in the stuffy air beneath the heavy cloth. She struggled not to move strenuously or grossly, and get even a little side of her face near the opening of the blanket. She could not manage it, it was getting harder just to struggled under there as sweat dripped down her chin and the diaper she was wear had become like a sauna, so stuffy she could not tell whether she was wet from sweat or if she had wet herself in her effort.

The sheet atop her began to shake in small little reverberations as she did this, and luckily, this happened while Rukia's eyes were closed, as she was finished up the last of her juice. All the while Orihime threw shaky, nerve-wracked glances from Rukia to the "empty bed" that contained Hinamori. If there was even one noticeable movement while Rukia was attuned to that area of the room, there would be no way she could write it off. Rukia put down her glass just at the right moment; Hinamori had poked her head out of the non-visible side of the futon and gotten a silent, yet desperately needed, breath of fresh cool air.

Now with Rukia's thirst satiated, there was not much Orihime could think of, so she immediately switched to Plan B. She pulled out an old dusty box, from the dark mystery that was deep under the center of the large table, and set it on the table. She wiped it off gently as Rukia sneezed unhappily, as she got too close and curious to the box.

"Do you want to play a board game with me?" Orihime asked, revealing the convoluted game that Orihime was sure would not only take long to set up, but would take a good amount of time to play, and during that time she could ponder how she was going to handle this situation.

Rukia looked over the game with interest; she'd not seen something like this in a while, since she stayed at Ichigo's house. Sometimes, Karin and Yuuzu would be playing the games and they would invite her to play with them, but she had never been very good at them and was always looking for the chance to learn how to play.

"Sure, I'd love to, can you teach me how this game works?" she asked quickly afterwards, not wanting to be left in the dust like last time.

At this Orihime only nodded, but both her and Hinamori let out twin sighs of relief, knowing they had bought themselves even more time. Hinamori made herself as comfortable as possibly possible in the odd position in which she had to lay in order to get gulps of clean, unstuffy air when she needed it.

The game began after a short, but direly made, convoluted explanation. Rukia, however, was much keener than to be easily confused by instructions, and Orihime felt foolish inside for trying to outwit her. Hinamori's leg began to throb in whining pain about fifteen minutes into play, but she kept it quiet, and covered her mouth gently when she wasn't getting fresh air. As she struggled for the countless, nearly painful time, Hinamori could sense the pitiful feeling of involuntarily wetting her diaper, which by this time had to be in danger of leaking, from the stress of hiding and struggling combined.

The whole process of wetting herself had become second nature to Hinamori. However, thought of Rukia finding her, not only in a diaper but in a soaking wet one, was more degrading then the idea of being called bed-wetter all over again. With this on her mind, racing through her with everything she did, Hinamori struggled poking her head out of the covers again and taking a well needed breath of fresh air. All this occurred while Rukia cleaned house with Orihime, taking a steady lead in their game.

The game had taken a sharp turn into the direction of "one sided," as Rukia, the superior strategizer, had made short work of most of Orihime's resources and pieces in the game. Orihime was shocked, she thought she had an advantage, it being Rukia's first time playing, as well as she herself being quite a "good" player, but time had rusted her, and letting one move slip at the start of the game had left her open to this swell tush-kicking by Rukia. Rukia snickered and giggled at times, knowing she had utterly defeated Inoue before the game had really even had a chance to begin. This distraction was fortunate, because Hinamori writhed gently under the blankets now, just barely able to control the pain.

Like a soda bottle that had been shaken viciously, Hinamori was ready to explode. Her body tensed and shook at times and masked yelps escaped her at opportune moments. Momo's leg throbbed, being electrocuted with zaps of blinding pain as it further cramped; moving it even slightly made her bite her hand in lieu of crying out like a scalded child.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this….Orihime….it hurts…" wheezed to herself pathetically, her body tearing on itself, once more feeling as if she was either bleeding or wetting from the sheer agony that blinded her.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up…" Orihime said aloud to Rukia, who took this as a comment on the game, taking another of Orihime's pieces.

"You're about to lose," Rukia grinned, giggling madly, as if it was the first game she had ever won, ever.

Though this was just Rukia's demeanor, it made Orihime tense and uncomfortable. Those words themselves were crushing to Hinamori who knew that the end of the game spelled an end of this charade, and the exposure of her fragile and barely "decent" form. Clutching her leg, utterly miserable, Hinamori shook like a bad car, going uphill, on gas that hadn't been refined. This shake, just out of Rukia's line of sight, had gone from a small wiggle every few seconds, to a dull rumble that did not cease at all. Time had run out…

"I WIN!" Rukia shouted in triumph, taking Orihime's last piece, and dancing foolishly, her tittering now a roar of pleasure.

At that very moment, the bonds broke, Hinamori couldn't take it any more, and she raised her head, and let out a piercing whine in incredible agony. It was so blinding that Hinamori no longer felt anything but the pain rushing from her body as she could finally be in a position that was not straining her ill body. With contempt, and frailty she cried like a little baby, letting all of those pent up emotions flow from her eyes in a waterfall of tears, along with a finally fully formed cry.

"Orrrrrriiiiiiiiihiiiiiimeeeeeee, iiiiiiiit huuuuuurrrrrtssssssssss!" She blubbered babyishly, which immediately sent to heads turning to her, surprised by both the movement of the sheet "pile" and the piercing cry.

Orihime stood frozen and mortified, more for Hinamori than herself as Rukia, shocked, fell onto her beanbag chair in fright. Orihime finally got up and took Hinamori in her arms. She rocked her back and forth for a good while, now just letting Rukia stare on at them, as she tried vainly to calm Hinamori down from her very well deserved fit. At long last, Hinamori stopped shaking and bawling long enough to notice her surrogate mommy's hold on her. The last thing she could do was whimper, looking right at Rukia with shame, blushed as if someone had spray painted her cheeks red.

"H-h-Hinamori?" Rukia questioned queerly, her first take making the whole ordeal very strange and serious

However as Rukia looked on longer at this spectacle, she cracked up a little, just taking all of Hinamori in. The puerile pink t-shirt, the visibly yellow stained diaper, the bawling and need of comfort by a "mommy" figure, all amused Rukia to no end. The short shinigami was soon giggling insanely again, as Orihime hurried off into the kitchen to get Hinamori a glass of water.

Orihime, with all haste, hustled into the kitchen to get a glass of water for Hinamori, who had quieted, in part, due to the fact that her throat was too dry and sore to cry any longer. In her haste, as she rooted through the cabinets for a suitable cup, Orihime dropped a stack of dishes to the floor. She cried out in fury, and looked back into the living room.

"Forgive me, Hinamori, Rukia, I need to clean this mess I made, I will be with you both shortly!" Inoue apologized, angry with herself and stressed over Hinamori's obvious displeasure, and now obvious humiliation.

Standing over Hinamori, casting a shadow of scariness and persistence, Rukia snickered. "Wassup with the baby stuff, Hinamori?" Rukia inquired, getting on her hands and knees, poking Hinamori's cheek with her finger.

"I'm sick…" Hinamori whined gently, recoiling when Rukia poked her. She scooted back a foot or so and just whimpered.

"Come on baby, don't be so shy, come over here and show mommy Rukia some love," Rukia taunted, shuffling closer to Hinamori. "Are those really those "baby panties" or whatever humans call them? Heh! Looks like this one is all used…" Rukia continued to bully, poking the diaper now, her finger interested in the warm, thick and squishing padding beneath it.

"Leave me alone…." Hinamori whimpered gently, scooting back totally flush to the wall and draping her head with the covers, hoping to partition Rukia off.

"Aww, is the widdle baby shy?" Rukia exclaimed coyly, pulling the covers down and giggling roguishly at Hinamori. "How did you end up in such a sorry and stupid situation?" she inquired, getting down to business.

"A hollow…a hollow poisoned me…" Momo was able to wheeze despondently before throwing the covers back on her head, already having had enough of Rukia's natural attitude when she found something funny.

Rukia pulled the sheets off without a second thought. "Are you that weak? A hollow? Not an arrancar, just a normal hollow, wounding a vice-captain?!" Rukia said as if she was a vice-captain herself and felt just as ashamed at Hinamori as Hinamori felt.

"Leave me alone, Rukia!" cried out with an infantile pout to her voice.

This cry caught Orihime's greater attention, though she had been listening the entire time. She was almost done cleaning up, and had heard all of Rukia's egging on; most displeased that someone of her maturity would act that way. She speeded her cleaning, trying to get out there as fast as possible.

"I won't leave you alone, Hinamori…" Rukia replied almost condescendingly, poking Hinamori's cheek again.

Hinamori had enough, when Rukia poked her, she angrily turned her head and nipped Rukia's index finger angrily. Rukia was easily able to pull her finger from any further nibbling, but the pain caused by the angered nip made Rukia look flush with anger.

"Why you little!" Rukia furiously yelped, falling upon Hinamori, pulling at her hair and wrestling with her, like she would have if Hinamori was a younger sister.

For the second time, a shadow was cast over Hinamori, but this time it was cast over Rukia too, both of them stopped struggling, Rukia last to notice the shadow above them. Orihime stood there, looking tinged in the worst way possible. She had stained red cheeks, and her eyes were slanted angrily.

"WHAT are you doing, Miss Rukia?" came Orihime's empowered voice, sounding as if she could be Rukia's mother.

Almost childishly, Rukia came back, "I can explain…it was her….she….I mean, its not MY fault!

Orihime narrowed her eyes further. "Of course its not…a sick girl loves to pick fights with healthy people….right? Rukia, your behavior is disappointing not only of shinigami but of even a HUMAN adult…" Inoue stated, with such an ominous tone that the implications made Rukia and Hinamori shiver.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Karma**

Rukia quivered with fear and anticipation, looking up at Orihime whose eyes seemed like they were on fire, her shadow freezing both of them to the spot. It was such an odd feeling, but no matter Orihime, Rukia, and Hinamori's true ages, the one in charge was the one with that angry, disappointed look spread upon her face, and her charges were staring back up at her, like deer in the path of an oncoming car. Hinamori was the first to speak.

"I'm….s-s-sorry….mommy….I mean, Orihime…" her voice was delicate, weak, and still considerably sickly.

With a gentle cough, Hinamori pulled the sheets back over her, up to her middle, hiding the diaper, and her shame as a blush bright as rubies streaked her face. She hiccupped gently, and crying seemed imminent, but the tears didn't come, she just pitifully whimpered there, as Orihime's glower no became fixated solely on Rukia.

"Hinamori, I can't say you weren't naughty too," Orihime admitted with a sigh. She still did not look away from Rukia. "But Miss Kuchiki is, nevertheless, the antagonist, and therefore more than fairly responsible for what she did…"

"But…but!!"

"No butts, Rukia, you know there was no reason to say and do those things to Hinamori, no matter her rank, position, or predicament. That was a very immature way to act!"

Rukia's head cringed a little, she had never been so afraid in the way she was. She'd never had a "parent" figure growing up, and this parental assertion of power frightened her a good deal, all ego and headiness was lost, and before Orihime was just a little child. Rukia's body quaked fearfully, her gaze shot to the floor; it was as if she was broken all over again. Guilt washed over Rukia, her defiant pout remained, but beneath it, Rukia really wanted to sob, just like Hinamori.

Hinamori opened her eyes as a soft hand caught her under the arm and pulled her up. Her eyes went wide and scared, but relaxed when Orihime smiled faintly. She took Hinamori and blanket over to the corner, and knelt her there, draping the blanket around her shoulders, a soft kiss on the back of the neck made Hinamori swoon for a moment, but her head wheeled back around a second later, bewildered, if only a bit.

"Why am I standing in this corner?" her voice came, as if she'd never been punished.

"Whether or not she was the aggressor, Rukia's punishment is between me and her…."Orihime's back shot at Rukia was like ice daggers, and an audible yelp escaped her when she saw it. With a deep sigh, Orihime continued, "…you just need to be a good girl and sit here until I'm done and ready for you," rant completed, Inoue hugged Hinamori from the back, she was already a good girl once again.

With Hinamori's back to the room she could only hear as Orihime left her side and stood at the futon near Rukia. Rukia's eyes peered up as Orihime's glared down, the too of them locked for just a moment before Rukia could not stare into the heart of the fire any longer. She took back to examining her bare feet, hoping Orihime would just get with the "punishing" whatever it might be.

"Rukia….do you admit what you were doing to poor Hinamori was wrong, and that no matter how she reacted, that you elicited that reaction?" Orihime asked, with a voice that implied the severity of what would happen next hinged on her answer.

Rukia looked up, her eyes wanted to be wet, but they were only glossed over with tears that could not come. She tried to have a look of pleading, a look begging for mercy, but she knew she was wrong. "…yes, I'm sorry…" she finally whimpered, glancing directly at Orihime, so that her eyes could tell she meant it.

"All right then, I won't be as rough with you as I was going to…" Orihime announced, taking Rukia as she had Hinamori and hoisting her up to her feet.

Rukia shakily rose, the feeling of being lifted so easily was both degrading and pacifying, knowing that in her gigai she could no better fight Orihime than sickly Hinamori could. Orihime's grip was more powerful than Rukia would have expected, even knowing the depth of her power. Stretched across Inoue's visage was a look of sheer determination and dominance, and Rukia only noticed this until she felt tugged down to her knees. She finally looked around and noticed Orihime was sitting upon the beanbag chair, settling herself in. Only then did morbid curiosity make Rukia sob out her apprehensive question.

"What are you going to do to me, Orihime?"

"You're going to be punished, just like I was when I was naughty. Your punishment should be age proportional to your acts, which were babyish at best," Orihime explained, tugging Rukia to her knees, which made her and Orihime at eye level once again.

"What do you…..mean?" Rukia tremulously asked, knowing the question wasn't nearly as frightening as the answer.

"You'll see…" Orihime replied, giving another tug that brought Rukia over her warm lap, and caused a stain of violent red to cross Rukia's face. Her reaction was immediate.

"No! No, no! You can't…..you won't…." Rukia struggled, but an odd sense of regret filled the tussle, and Orihime was easily able to subdue her even through the wiggling. "You can't! I'm older than you….you can't…." Rukia turned her head to stare Orihime in the eyes, the placid, calm look of a parent, patient with their child, froze Rukia once again. "Are you…really going to _spank_ me?" she nearly sobbed, holding back tears that were not yet needed.

"Are you really going to tell me your childish actions don't warrant it?" Orihime questioned, her hand absentmindedly rubbing Rukia's back, where bottom met tailbone.

The whole humiliating feeling, being on Inoue's lap, the fact she had nearly rough housed, hair-pulled, and annoyed one of her best friends, and the whole reason she did it overwhelmed Rukia, who sat back and had one of her realizations about how much of a child she acted like sometimes. Of course one could argue that Rukia was given to bouts of immaturity due to the fact she was never given a childhood in Rukongai, but that was no excuse for what she did. She was a grown girl, a soul reaper too, to act the way she did _was_ warranting of a spanking.

Reluctantly, Rukia nodded, knowing she'd long since abandoned the hope of not getting spanked, at this point. Even though she'd only been upon Orihime's thighs for about two minutes, it felt like an eternity, and the only thing that could end it was her eventual, and hopefully serious, punishment.

"I deserve it…" Rukia finally blurted, a little tear falling, but nothing more. She wiggled a little more, only out of frustration and the uncomfortable position her earlier struggling had worked her into, but Orihime adjusted her so that she needn't wiggle.

"Are you comfortable?" Orihime's voice was as a mother's and it made Rukia shiver anew.

"_What kind of question is that?"_ thought Rukia, but she knew it was very much more kind than Orihime should have been with her offending personage so she just but nodded and tried to fake a smile.

Orihime took a deep breath, her hand slid a little lower until it rested all too forebodingly on Rukia's bottom. Both of them tensed for a moment, and Rukia nearly cried out when Orihime began to caress her backside, she realize what she was doing but said nothing, knowing Orihime was trying to lull her just a little bit. It worked; Rukia closed her eyes gently, and would have smiled, if she had not known what was coming next.

Orihime held her hand nice and high, after about a minute of rubbing. From the corner, a scared Hinamori listened, like Rukia, for the first swat to catch Rukia's bottom. Orihime built up a good bit of suspense, hanging her hand there, just waiting, just waiting. For another five second, counted in her head her hand hung in mid-air until "five" came in her mind. The hand came down, catching Rukia square across her bottom.

"Owww!" Rukia chimed, trying not to struggled.

Orihime continued on, spanking again, and again, building a little speed as she did, working to a comfortable amount of spanks per moment. She was relieved Rukia was so small, it was easier than she thought to cover the entire bottom of Rukia's dress with just one swat, though she moved her hand to the left and right just a bit so the sides of Rukia's bottom would not remain unlicked. The sound was not covert, it rung through the entire apartment, the of hand on cloth rapidly and forcefully was almost as painful as the spanking itself, almost being the key word.

_Swat, swat, swat, swat. _Rukia had lost count of the number of spanks she'd already received, and they were not even that far in. The feeling of the spanking was not at all as bad as it could be, or that she wondered if it would get. The sting that had just begun to form was dull, but only due to the fact Rukia was trying her very hardest not to cry, which in a way was much more stressful than the entire ordeal itself. She jumped forward ever so slightly with each spank, her dress providing no protection from Orihime's diligent palm. Little gasps of pain became audible "owws" as Rukia's punishment wore on. The mere sound sent chills up Hinamori's spine.

After a good forty spanks, Orihime rested her hand at the hem of Rukia's dress, and without another moment, or word she hoisted it over Rukia's slightly rosy backside. Rukia's face went redder than her rear at this, but she said nothing, only whimpered, in the most non-approving tone she could muster. Then again, Rukia knew she had no say in her punishment. Despite her status she was just a "child" over Orihime's lap, and nothing she could say would change that now.

Orihime spanked anew, dropping her hand against Rukia's panty clad bottom, looking over the adorable blue and white striped panties adorning the punished bottom of her little ward. The sound was much different not, since the panties were nice and tight to Rukia, the only sound her hand made was the sound of skin on skin contact. Her speed changed but slightly, to slow down, but not lose any of its force. Orihime remembered her own spankings, being over her brother's lap, and trying not to cry for as long as she could. She all too well recognized the pain on Rukia's face, trying not to cry when what she really needed were for those tears to fall.

"_How many spanks will it take it make Rukia let it all out?" _Inoue pondered, at about the twentieth spank upon Rukia's even less protected backside.

Rukia bit her lip, taking the entirety of the punishment without a tear falling, and little less than an "oww" here and there. She was trying her best to keep the tears back, not wanting to feel like a little baby, crying upon her mommy's lap. It was denigrating but then again that was what Rukia was aware of her deserving. After she had belittled Hinamori, only the same in return could really make her feel remorse.

Orihime's hand moved to where Rukia's rear met her thighs, she picked up the spanking from twenty and continued on, spanking quite briskly on this relatively untouched area. Rukia shut her eyes in utter dismay, the pain of this assault much worse than the other two combined. Orihime recounted internally the first time she'd gotten her sit spots spanked, when she had ran in the road. The sting that sitting upon that punished area would surely reinforce the message Orihime was trying to get across. All the while Inoue continued to ponder how long Rukia could last so stalwartly against the barrage.

The fortieth spank rang nice and hard upon Rukia's panties, and she wiggled after Orihime had paused to flex her hand. Orihime was impressed that Rukia had not even shed more than that first tear. She knew she had to take some desperate measures. She rubbed Rukia's head so that the bushy raven-haired girl would stare back at her, and when they were looking each other over; Orihime began.

"Rukia, you've been a very mature young lady through the first half of your spanking, however…its not over just yet…that's why I need you to be a little braver for me, okay?"

"W-why?" Rukia sobbed, her tears held back by only a thread's width.

Orihime looked over the spread of her table, though most of the things on it had been cleared away from when they were playing the board game, her hairbrush was still sitting there. She remembered the old wood striking her own bottom in the past, so she took it up and looked it over. Rukia did the same but with a face of fear that made her look like the hairbrush would kill her. Orihime rubbed the cool wood against Rukia, just wanting to get a feel for the brush at the moment. However, this motion made Rukia buck inadvertently. Orihime held fast.

"I'm going to give you a little of my hairbrush, Rukia," Orihime explained, although it was already painfully obvious.

Back in the corner, Hinamori's hands had moved around to her own bottom, the covers had fallen off and the adorable sight, of little Momo clasping her soaked diaper's backside, was free for all to see. She deeply hoped that this too would not be her fate. Orihime had said, "…_ready for you…_" and the many things that could mean, including the idea of being spanked herself, ran through Hinamori's mind uneasily. Whatever the outcome, each spank from before had made her wiggle herself, so the idea of being spanked brought quite a bit of dread into Hinamori's shiver.

The terror in Rukia's trembling came from a wholly different idea; the idea of getting spanked with the hairbrush coiled itself around Rukia like a serpent, and reached her backside with a painful bite. All at once she could feel the hairbrush upon her, just with Orihime rubbing the cool wood against her back. Orihime, again, built up suspense and anticipation for the first smack, rubbing the brush against Rukia's burning sit-spots. Just the feeling of this sent cowering dread all through Rukia, her body shivered deeply and Orihime smiled a little, raising the brush.

The delivery of the first crack was swift, right at the tail end of Rukia's shiver, right to her already ailing sit-spots. Rukia lurched forward and cried out, but she remained silent after the initial scream. She painfully bit her lip, scrunching her eyes closed as Orihime began the hairbrushing in earnest against her sit-spots, working the brush over them with a very parental manner about her. She didn't know she had this in her, and apparently neither did Rukia.

The new echo through the room of oak on flesh made Hinamori flinch with each _whack_ and _swat_ of the brush against Rukia. From that point all of the whacks made Rukia yelp and whine in a small wheeze, trying to contain the tears that she desperately did not want to fall, and stain her cheeks, as well as her pride. But just nearly fourteen spanks into the next part of the punishment, Rukia could not contain a whine, and the want to beg Orihime to stop the tirade against her bottom.

"Please! Please Or-or-orihime! I'm sorry; I was bad….p-p-please! Please no more!" Rukia sniffled, when Orihime gave her a chance.

The tears were still quite held back, but the voice was that of a broken child. Orihime felt bad for a moment, but took a deep breath, she didn't want to be soft, she was in the mother role for a reason, and tough love would set Rukia straight. Rukia had this attitude adjustment coming for some time…

And the paddling of the hairbrush continued the _wallop _and _whack_ of the hairbrush cracks were resounding around the room. Rukia's moaning and whining continued nevertheless. Her body bucked, but the movement was so tiring at this point that she barely moved more than a couple inches, and was promptly adjusted with a simple movement of Orihime's legs.

It was when forty total hairbrush swats had connected that Orihime laid the brush on Rukia's mid-back and rubbed the hot expanse of skin with a cool, loving hand. Rukia was still not crying, she had tears in her eyes, but they did not want to flood that pain expression on her face. Orihime gently hooked a finger in Rukia's panties, but did nothing else but let it stay there. Whether or not she pulled them down, Rukia's eyes went wide again, she whirled her head around and pleadingly looked at Orihime.

"N-n-n-n-no more….puh-puh-please…please no more, Orihime! I'm sorry! No more spanking! Her begging was falling on deaf ears, Orihime pulled at the panties a little bit, exposing more of Rukia's blazed backside.

The little shard of hair that fell over Rukia's face was plastered by sweat to her forehead as she whined in earnest. "Nooo no….please!" Finally Rukia's tears fell for real; they coursed down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. Orihime didn't yet pull the striped panties from their position on Rukia's thighs, much to the opposite she slipped them off totally. But the frantic Rukia barely noticed.

When Rukia had calmed down considerably, Orihime soothed her. "Its okay, Rukia, we're all done with the spanking…" she consoled, rubbing that fiery, tomato hued bottom with great care.

"B-b-but why d-did you take my p-p-panties d-d-down?" Rukia stuttered, still recovering from the painful shock and sting of the spanking.

"Because your punishment is not over yet…" Orihime concluded mysteriously, continuing to rub, as many unpleasant thoughts filled Rukia's head.

"What do you mean?" Rukia wheezed, still quite a bit afraid of motherly Orihime.

"Oh….you'll see, silly. You'll see."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Repentance**

Straining her visage to an extent that made her look quite comical, Rukia was bewildered, as Orihime had slipped off her panties but declared that the spanking was over. _"What else can she do to me?"_ thought Rukia pensively; Orihime had not moved her just yet, making to rub the reddened backside and thighs of her victim. Rukia tried to squirm after a little bit of rubbing, but Orihime's hand was still firmly, yet gently clasped around Rukia's wrist, and struggling only exacerbated the pain in her rear, whilst adding to the post-spanking drowsiness.

Finally, lifting the veil of thick and stuffy anticipation that had fallen upon the room, Orihime picked Rukia up by the arm as she had done before, and was standing in less than a moment. Rukia winced at this; just standing had made her swollen backside throb with electric pain, as though she'd just been slapped anew. However, the sting became dull quickly after, and Rukia was peering up at Orihime a moment later.

"Well?" Rukia sheepishly ventured, her face beet red, and blush, even then.

"Well, what?" Inoue responded, stretching with her free hand, smarter than to let Rukia free and think the punishment was totally through.

"What is my second punishment….dare I ask? Rukia's attitude had returned a bit, but a flash from Rukia made her rephrase. "I mean…if I may ask…"

"Someone is quite eager…all right then, this way,"

Inoue led her captive back to the futon she'd just been upon Hinamori on. There was the dull scent of the soap and shampoo used to bathe Momo still lingering on it. It lulled Rukia like the pre-spanking rub had done before, and she was pacified, if for the time being. Orihime regarded Rukia, her hands running the length of the girl's bare hips, as if making some sort of mental measurement. Meekly, Rukia watched those hands move, wary of any new slapping, or physical punishment. With amazement, none came, and Orihime sighed deeply, nodding to herself, the rosy smile had returned as if it had never left. To this, Rukia was a bit scared, wondering what about "punishment" could make Inoue so happy.

"Hmm, it should work just fine, and fit too…"

"What should fit?" Rukia inquired, until a push on her shoulders shocked her.

With gentle force, Orihime had thrust down on Rukia, forcing the petite lady to her sore bottom. The sting rocketed through her again, and a yelp filled the room for only a moment. Regaining what was left of her composure, Rukia was then settled to her back. In this position, her dress still rolled up around her naked bits, she felt vulnerable, attack closing in on all sides. A burning filled her face, so bad she felt tears were near, but Orihime was already looking away, making busy with a bag of some sort, obscured from view behind Inoue's well-made body.

"This…..is what should fit," replied Orihime taking up the white rectangle, and showing it to Rukia.

"What is that?" Rukia quizzically inquired, taking the thing into her hands and looking it over. She new she had seen something made of the same material just a little while ago, but with the punishment still swimming in her head, it was hard to gather just where she had seen this prior to the moment it was in her hands.

Having said nothing in a great long while, Momo giggled furiously, knowing exactly what Rukia was holding. The small giggle became a total laugh, as Hinamori forgot she was next in line for punishment, and simply let out her frustrations in that jostling titter. Orihime and Rukia both took glances at Hinamori, and when Rukia's eyes had fallen to Momo's encased posterior she could only crookedly turn her head back to the folded object in her hands.

"Ah!" Rukia shouted indignantly and fearfully, as if the diaper was some kind of torture device. "I will _not_ wear that!" She protested; a small part of her confidence and ego had returned in spades.

"Hee-hee, Rukia, that's a very funny thing to say," began Orihime, her voice both innocent and motherly; that giggle at the inception of her sentence sent cold fire throughout Rukia as she anxiously turned her head.

"Why is it funny?! I'm not going to wear it!"

"Well, it's funny because, right now, you sound like you have a _choice_ in wearing it…"

Just like when Orihime's surprising strength had kept her rooted to her lap, this utterance from Inoue make Rukia jump in fear, as if she'd been scalded, and was afraid the pot of water would fall over upon her. Rukia was seemingly locked in place. Orihime had no bonds on her, yet for some reason, she couldn't move at all, all she could do was stare at Orihime, and then look dreadfully to the diaper in her hands. Neither said a word, and the veil lifted earlier descended back upon them thicker than a mist upon the shore.

The silence made Hinamori quite jumpy, since she didn't know what was going on, if anything. For a moment she feared having gone deaf, but the ticking of the clock was an indication that she still, in fact, had her hearing. She made a shy attempt to turn her head, but the movement, against the wholly inanimate room gave her away.

"Momo, corner please," Orihime insisted, not even having to look back over at Hinamori a second time before her order was complied with.

This command caused Rukia and Hinamori to both yelp. The tone and inflection was so icy cold, and yet so beautiful; it was almost impossible that the sound had some from Orihime. Though her voice had normally sounded quite precocious, it had never had that elegant, powerful, and liquid feeling that drenched the soul in subservience. Hinamori's head was buried in the corner as far as she could push it without hurting herself, and Rukia's guarding hands hand fallen to her sides. She just wanted to see that frown on Inoue's face go away, it was sickeningly terrifying.

"I'll…I'll wear it…Miss Inoue…" Rukia said closing her eyes, hoping to open them when it was done. However a feeling in her stomach caused the eyes to open prematurely. Orihime was tickling her, the grin on her face back once again.

"Good then, glad to see you're accepting of what you deserve. It's imperative that we learn the lessons presented before us," Orihime lectured absentmindedly, much like herself, her hand returning to the diaper, unfolding it, fluffing the stuffing as if it were already second nature to her.

The crinkling sound, the color, and material made Rukia cringe, even though fighting it was out of the question. Where would she go if she left the Inoue residence? Ichigo's father was worse than this, even if Yuuzu and Karin did their best to control him. Also…sleeping in Ichigo's room alone, would be depressing. Even the soreness in her bottom told Rukia she was better off bearing the indignity of her actions and staying with Orihime, where she was at least guaranteed company. Something about the whole ordeal, even though Rukia had grown to loathe the idea of being babied, was much more interesting that lazing about the Kurosaki Residence.

Rukia was quite startled, even knowing what was happening, when Orihime hoisted her legs into the air and slipped the fluffiness under her. Lowering her back to the ground, the soft, inner material was soothing on the sore, slightly battered bottom of Rukia's. Orihime set to work now doing what she did for Hinamori. She dusted Rukia in powder, the pleasing scent of which made Rukia slightly less apprehensive, but still guarded and unhappy. She crossed her arms and tried not to crack a smile as the tickling feeling of the powdering being rubbed into her skin filled her. She looked to the side, and put on her biggest and most artificial pout.

Orihime laughed herself, as the small patch of curly ebony hair, darker than even Hinamori's, bristled under her hand. When the powder had been equally and properly dispersed, Orihime sprinkled a little on the padding itself, before continuing on getting the thing affixed to Rukia. She'd had a good bit of practice, it wasn't that hard to do this, but the feeling of power that was flooding her was an impediment that was fueled by her glee at the role of "mommy."

"Don't be so grumpy…" Orihime suggested, pulling the front of what was once the white rectangle, up and flush to Rukia's middle.

The feeling was both degrading and deplorable, Rukia blushed deeply, and wanted to groan and moan, like a child, in displeasure. However, she made sure not to make so much as a whine, continuing to confirm that she was definitely not a baby. Though the puffy garment eagerly being taped around her said otherwise, Rukia was intent on proving she was a "good girl" and getting back in Orihime's favor. The diaper was the oddest thing she'd felt between her legs. It was both like underwear and not all at once. It was too thick to walk properly in, and it was too soft to agitate her sore back. The puffy whiteness made it look like panties, but the odd noise it made when she moved was apparently quite different from the silence that the counterpart offered.

As the last crackle of the tape was emitted, Hinamori had a good mind to turn around again, but feared for her own backside, and decided not to chance it. The waiting game was pulling at her desperately, not to mention the fact that she was sure she'd leaked by now.

"_Will that get me a worse punishment?"_ she thought to herself, whimpering audibly, to which Orihime finally responded.

"All right, Rukia. We're done, you can take a nap now, if you want, I know you must be exhausted, I have to deal with Hinamori…"

Rukia nodded. "Yes'm," she answered, feeling the pressure of sleep on her eyes for the first time in a while. Her hands were just able to unroll her dress over the diaper before they gave up and fell to her sides. The raw and painful feeling of the spanking had dulled by only so much, and sleep was inescapable, even with that thickness and odd feeling betwixt her thighs. Rukia was snoring madly in seconds.

Before Orihime had even begun to move towards her, Hinamori had straightened, her demeanor was once more rigid, quiet, and had the utmost caution in every fiber of it. She was genuinely terrified of being spanked like Rukia, afraid desperately of having that hairbrush rubbed against her bottom. Of everything that had happened to Rukia, only one thing made Hinamori a little less nervous, the fresh diaper. It'd been a couple hours since she'd been changed, the feeling of the sogginess, and the beginning of a rash were weighing upon her. If she'd not been paralyzed by fear she'd have, no doubt, been wiggling with discomfort.

"Hello, sweetie," Orihime sung gently, her voice was so inviting and warm, like heated cream. She was rubbing Hinamori's back gently, removing her from the corner, before Momo had even snapped out of the placidity her voice had caused.

"Hello…mommy…" Hinamori didn't even try hiding it now; she was perfectly content with calling Orihime mommy, even if it was terribly strange, it just worked for her. "Are…you going to punish me, Orihime-mommy?" she asked, having to bridge the name because she'd already started saying it before she could stop.

"Yes, baby," Inoue whispered gently. "But don't worry; you're not in for anything too harsh.

"Are you going to spank me?"

"Actually, I wasn't going to…I was merely going to make you sit in the corner tomorrow morning…"

"Mommy, you can spank me…." Hinamori shyly replied back. "I deserve it for fighting…"

"Are you sure? I know you weren't as naughty as little Rukia, you don't need it really…" Orihime was unsure of whether she should just comply, or do what she had planned, this part of motherhood was a little unexpected.

"Will I get it as hard as Rukia if I'm sure?" asked Hinamori, feeling a little safer that she could still back out, unhappy that her mouth had spoken without right, for the whole of her body.

"Of course not, Miss Kuchiki had her attitude adjustment a long time coming; you'd only get my palm on your little back," Orihime assured, giving a false swat to the back of the thoroughly saturated diaper.

Relieved, Hinamori nodded furiously, just wanting to be in Orihime's hold once more, no matter how. "Yes, please spank me, I'm sure!" she exclaimed breathily, now totally set on being Orihime's good little girl, no matter what.

"Well, then it's settled, come with me,"

Inoue led Hinamori, as she had done with Rukia, over to the beanbag chair. She had to straighten it out a little before sitting, but even then it was obvious something would be clearly different between this spanking and the prior. Orihime stared at her little one with a bit of wonderment, which only lasted a second. She clicked her tongue, and then snapped her fingers. Bringing Hinamori to her front the flush little shinigami shrilly whined, not knowing what was happening.

"What did I do?" she cried quietly.

"Nothing…but I just realized I have to take the wet diaper off!" Orihime grinned, watching relief spread over Hinamori, who was apparently shaken by the thought of having done another bad thing.

"I guess so…" Hinamori trailed off, still a good bit anxious, so unnerved by the thought of being spanked only to go right ahead and ask for it. She didn't know what had spurred that inside of her, but the idea now felt right, it was not only what she wanted, it was what Momo needed.

As if alive, the diaper seemed just as wanting to be off of Hinamori, as she wanted it off of herself. It slid down her leg the minute one of the four tapes was removed. The balancing act of undoing the tapes and keeping the garment up until that was done made Orihime display a determined face, sitting down complicated the measure. At long last Momo was freed from her soggy prison, though she didn't much think of the diapers in the same way the newly padded Rukia must have. With it off, however, there was nothing holding up the punishment. Trembling with fearful, anxious longing, Hinamori felt herself tenderly guided back to Orihime's side.

Looking down upon those soft thighs, their fullness and womanly curve both curiously piquing Momo and making her jealous, one could not help but feel invited, as such Hinamori was lying herself on them before Orihime could even ease her down. The result was an awkward position which Orihime could only giggle at, as she moved Hinamori's round backside forward, into proper position upon her legs. When she was both comfortably and properly aligned Orihime patted that milky pale bottom.

"I'm sorry for being naughty…" Hinamori whined gently, feeling like the gentle pats were already turned to full-fledged spanks.

"It's quite all right; it takes a big girl to request the punishment she believes is fair,"

"Thanks…momma-Orihime," Momo whispered, her body and buns tensing already for the spanking to come, fear coursing through her, which caused a slight trembling in her little rear. Orihime put her hand down against those shivering cheeks, quelling them nicely before leaning down and kissing Hinamori atop her head.

"Be brave, my baby," Orihime murmured in that ephemeral, entrancing mother's voice, instantly dispelling Momo's fear. Settling down only caused a slight bit of anguish, as the first spank caught her bottom totally off guard, sending Hinamori into a soft jump, making a gentle yelp.

"Ouchie!" she whimpered, but quickly went quiet as a hand rubbed her head.

The continuing spanks definitely did hurt, but it was a kind of hurt that was both tolerable and wanted. The soft sting that was emitted into her flesh with each swat of Orihime's caressing palm caused a plethora of emotions to spark inside Hinamori. One of them was most obviously pain, as she whimpered for a good deal of the punishment. But the latent effects were much more dramatic. A pulling in her tummy, like when they had kissed, returned to Hinamori, and the blush on her face was one of both pain and infatuation. She wanted the spanking to get harsher, deep down, as much as she wanted it to end.

The "punishment" dragged on for a length bit of time. Hinamori had controlled her yelps and cries of pain and affection by trying to find a pattern in Orihime's spanking. The swift sting was dull now, and turning more into a lasting pain, which had dyed her once cream-white bottom a slight tinge of pomegranate, or maybe pink, Orihime couldn't really decide, it was just all too cute. The lingering lineage of her lasting lust had also crept back into her, and Orihime found her spanks become more a slap and a grope, rather than the brisk spanking she'd given to Rukia.

Momo had long since noticed this quite stark change in the way she was striking, but it was not as if she was going to complain about it. What reason did she have to? This was exactly what she wanted. Every bit of it was her desire, the punishment, the pain, and the deep, incredible longing in every swat. It would be an outright lie to deny that was the same for Orihime, who, despite the nature of her actions, was in love with spanking, and just touching in general, that almost forbidden expanse of skin below Hinamori's waist.

Good things can't last forever, and that thought was true when Orihime's hand finally became too tired to muster anymore spanking, her own palm colored the same as Momo's delicate bottom, a peachy red, that seemed to emanate heat, of both pain and love.

"I'm sorry, mommy-Orihime," breathed Momo in sheer bliss and relief, her backside feeling as though it was bouncing, when she was quite in place, aloft on Orihime's cushy thighs.

"_More_ than forgiven…Momo sweetie," was all that was replied, though the gravity of their words meant far more than could ever be expressed with the trivial notion of "words."

Inoue drew Hinamori into a hug, holding her tight as tears of pain finally ran down Hinamori's face. She was smiling throughout though, Orihime's gentle hands stroking her stinging tail. Orihime's sore palm worked against tender bottom for some time, it was a quite proficient and loving back and forth, round and round path. The hand touched all within that domain, back and thighs included. Ultimately, Hinamori had closed her eyes shut tight and grasped onto Orihime like a debris from a sinking vessel. She was silent, but in heaven on so many levels.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Two is Better Than One?**

The night had passed, and shards of light blossomed from the windowsill like blades of glass covered in springtime dew. The three occupants of the Inoue house were all in bed, this time Hinamori and Orihime shared a single futon, leaving the sore, pampered Rukia to her own bed beside them. The air in the house was warm and a bit stagnant, dust was visible in the rays of sun that escaped the curtains and flooded a small scarp of the room that slowly breached the corner of Rukia's eye.

A small hand fiddled in front of the afflicted eye, as if trying to ward off the intruding light from her line of sight. Turning on her side caused a fell crinkle to escape, and immediately her eyes opened, if only slightly. The night before had not left Rukia's mind or bottom. A hand slipped between the sheets and rubbed the diaper covered back. Rukia was partially glad the diaper was there, forming a soft cushion protecting her sore and tender bottom from the floor as she sat up. Her body ached, as though she had taken three rounds with Orihime, rather than a spanking. Small packets of pain were brought from thighs, middle, and neck when Rukia looked around the room.

"Note to self….never get on Orihime's bad side, it's not a good idea," Rukia said aloud, nursing her little rear, still.

Without any venom, her head turned to the tuft of ginger hair, which was holding the tuft of raven hair that was pressed against its bosom. Inside, Rukia actually felt a bit of jealousy in that scene. She knew they were only sleeping together because of the futon that she was now sitting upon, all by her grumpy, sore-butt lonesome, but it still made her a little green that they were like that. However, another problem came to her attention that eclipsed that moment of envy as she looked to her middle and the white expanse that sat there, looking up at her.

Wonderment and a little bit of anger filled Rukia. She truly had to think about what Orihime would do if Rukia had it off when she woke up, but the idea of having her bottom warmed again warded her hands from the blue-lined tapes "_It's not worth risking my butt over,_" she thought to herself, taking it in stride, the problem still nagging her. Simply put, Rukia had to pee; she didn't know how she could accomplish peeing WITH the diaper on, despite that being its primary purpose for existing. Long and hard she considered it until the conclusion was evident. Taking it off would earn Rukia another trip to Lapland, but keeping it on meant only one thing.

"Ugh….no way…." Rukia protested with revulsion, still speaking out loud, the dual snores from over her shoulder proof that nothing was waking the occupants of the other futon.

Arms crossed, sitting with a steely look of determination, Rukia sat on the futon, and managed not to shift back and forth as the need to go began to mount. It had not been dire when she was put to bed, and it had not been urgent enough to wake her during the night, but even Rukia's bladder could not keep all of that juice inside for this long. The feeling was like too much water against an already flooded dam. There was only so much water it could hold at capacity, and when that level was breeched, holding any more back was nearly torture. Her breaths became a bit harder and her ears were red from the stress. Rukia closed her eyes and tried to think of other things, things that weren't liquid, or painful, or of importance to the body. However, the only thing she could get in her mind was the small waterfall near where Ichigo had been training. She could see it falling, and stereotypically it seemed to mock her, like it was some center of relief.

Rukia began twitching her toes, wringing her hands in a clenched motion, desiring to keep herself from needing to go, as if something so foolish was even possible. You could only tell yourself you didn't have to go as much as you could keep the sun from rising. Rukia looked out the window, wondering if this was all a fruitless attempt. Hinamori had not whined much when she was wet, and she was definitely getting a pretty good deal of babying and care from Orihime. Maybe this was a better vacation than sitting on a rock outside of Rukon and watching Ichigo train with Renji, Ikkaku, and the others. All Rukia had to do was play along, and, if she was lucky, all the pleasures of being totally waited on would be hers….she hoped.

The first thing she had to do was the worst, it seemed. That feeling of bursting in her belly had not subsided in the least, but even when she was resigned to peeing, she could not. It was a lot harder to go with the padding up against her; it made a whole lot of difference that someone would not normally notice. "_I should have known it wouldn't be that easy….its not like someone tries to wet their pants everyday…"_ Rukia, frustrated, reflected.

Trying again rewarded her none more than the first attempt had. She was beginning to get more frustrated with trying to wet herself than she had trying _not_ to wet herself, which was irony of the highest caliber to Rukia. She giggled to herself, falling back on the futon. It was terribly funny that she wanted to pee, but was enduring the pain of her body being unable to with the warm diaper between her legs. She poked her stomach and looked as though she was commanding it to be reasonable. It did not comply. Sitting up again, Rukia yawned deeply and stretched, just trying to get the sleep from her, maybe oil up some of the sleep-rusted cogs inside her body. This, remarkably, did the trip, because as Rukia raised her hands in the air in a deep yawn, she felt a wave of relief.

Her eyes drifted to the batting as a dot of off-yellow occurred in the middle of the thing, it began to expand and drift, as warmness continued to cover the center of Rukia's loins. She literally hummed, feeling much better being able to just go, as opposed to how much it had been strenuous torture holding it all in. It did not last as long as one would have figured, and soon enough Rukia was looking down at the wetness and poking it abjectly with her pinky, just regarding it, making an analysis of whether it was deplorable, or endurable, at which time she'd be able to determine if this was paradise or hell.

Pondering was what made up the next span of ten minutes, Rukia, lying in bed, just left her hand atop the little hill of canary coated plastic. Warmth had begun to fade from it, but her bladder was still sighing in relief. Death would have been a godsend had she not finally been able to evacuate herself just then. "_That's a new rule…be aware of how much juice Orihime is "lovingly" forcing down my throat…_" said Rukia internally, her thumb pushing into the plush padding. She shivered as her thumb's force pushed into her middle. She wondered how this item which had been filled with her undying abhorrence has, seemingly overnight, transformed into her ticket to rest and relaxation. Finally, Rukia just gave up making sense of it, that was one of the subtle nuances of the situation, and she was sure if she dug too deep she'd be too busy conjecturing the enjoy the simple pleasure of being catered and taken care of.

With the wetting out of the way, the only thing left was waiting until Orihime, and Rukia's "playmate" Hinamori to rise from their slumber so that Rukia's "care" could begin. The deviant sat there quite contently for about twenty minutes until she had become so intoxicated and lulled by the snoring that she too had fallen back on her futon and pulled the covers back over her body. She had no trouble falling back to sleep, even while wet, the remaining warmth that loitered against her skin made it even a bit easier, if anything. Drifting off, there was an infantile sense of longing that made Rukia move to her side as much as she could, until her outstretched hands could just touch the pink of Orihime's shirt.

At about ten in the morning, before anything big had even happened for the day, Orihime's gorgeous gray eyes opened and looked about the room, surveying everything that there was to offer. She saw the window, illuminated in a fire of yellows and reds, causing lasers of dust to penetrate the air. Orihime kindly unhinged Hinamori from her body, settling the girl in place, immediately making her curl into a little ball, the sleep not erring from her visage. However, moving, Orihime found she was still tethered to something. She could feeling something warm against her back. Moving into the gap that parting Hinamori had made, Inoue looked upon the most adorable sight.

Rukia had thrust her free hand over Orihime during her slumber and held on tight, her other hand, unable to squeeze beneath Inoue, had found its thumb lodged in Rukia's lips. Though Rukia undoubtedly would have thought herself silly to sleep like this, it did not look as though she was bothered one bit by her arrangement. Just wanting to gush from the very sight, Orihime began her day with a huge grin spread across her face. Her first task was taking a very much-needed shower. She did not know when she had last taken one, the last couple of days were a blur and she could only remember that it was probably a good idea to wash up, now that she had more than one handful.

The shower was marvelous; Orihime never knew such a simple thing could feel so good. The water ran down her body, making slippery crimson trails of her hair as it matted itself to her back and bosom. She paid close attention to her hands and face, massaging warm soap into her body, all the while hoping the two inside did not wake up and find her missing in action. She was almost tempted to enjoy a bath, but the time that would take for something that was not necessary, made Inoue realize it was not a motherly action. Instead she closed off the shower and began to dry herself gingerly. The coolness against her bare flesh caused little goosebumps to course her; she shivered lightly before throwing the towel over herself, pulling up another for the massive amount of sopping locks she kept sparkling clean.

Stepping out of the bathroom caused a small bit of insect-like sensations to crawl over Orihime's skin. Her immediate reaction was holding onto the towel for dear life, as she hurried over to the pile of clothes and began to root around for panties and a bra. The ones she found were actually quite satisfactory, especially for her mood. Rose frilly panties slipped easily and comfortably into place, though Orihime still spent two or three seconds adjusting them, just being a little obsessive over how they left, making sure no wrinkles or frills were caught under the elastic. The bra was a clashing blue, but Orihime hung it over her shoulders and did a similar job of over-adjusting the bra until it was just perfect. With this task managed, she turned back to the clothes pile to look for something else to wear.

She found her usual pants and a nice shirt and those were on in similar fashion to her undergarments. Finally ready for the day, Orihime went back over to her two "little ones" and checked them. She checked Hinamori first, and, as expected, the still slightly ill shinigami had a small yellow spot across the white of her middle. Orihime smiled and made a mental note of this, going over to Rukia, for what she expected to be the entire opposite. However, she was quite surprised. Rukia was soaked, more than just one simple nighttime accident, something tugged at her, trying to make her insinuate the evacuation was intentional, but she just couldn't realize that deep down. Rukia needed to be changed straightaway, and she'd slept an entire night, it was not wrong to wake her.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," Orihime coaxed stereotypically, which fit best for what she was doing, regardless of how uninteresting the beckoning was.

Rukia opened her eyes a little, she was still a bit worn out, and a little remnant of sting in her bottom was apparent, but she hazily bore up at Orihime in wonderment for a moment. "Good morning…" she whispered gently.

"Someone who fought against their punishment sure needed it after all…" Orihime teased, her index finger pushing cutely into the sodden padding, likened now to a damp sponge covered in plastic sheeting. Rukia felt this, remembering how she had just about reveled in wetting herself earlier that morning.

For as strange as it was, being awoke like this, joked with, and poked was not annoying, it was actually refreshing. Rukia nodded, her upper cheeks turning the same color as her bottom had been the night before. She didn't know how to lie about what she had done, and really hoped Orihime figured she'd just wet more than once during the night. It didn't seem like a big deal, really. But she yawned anyway and opened her eyes a little wider.

"I'm hungry…," she murmured gently, looking off to the side, a little too embarrassed to look at Orihime.

"Don't you worry about "hungry," I'll take care of that as soon as I take care of this," Orihime explained, already tugging over the bag of stuff and then at the tapes.

Rukia liked the words "I'll take care of that," it seemed like she was a bit craftier than anyone would give her credit for. A little submission and she had submission complete over Orihime, just lying there, getting the courage to wet once in a while, and enduring that ceremonious spanking, and Rukia had gained herself a veritable made for the week, someone to wait on her, quite happily at that, from the way Orihime was busying herself with changing Rukia's moistened garment. Rukia's thoughts were punctuated by the cool wipe rubbing her middle. She shuddered in pleasure and shock as it left her and felt her legs rise into the air as they were the last time.

"Hmm, I sure did a number on your little bottom…." Orihime remarked, her finger poking what was obviously a fledgling bruise, because it made Rukia yelp unexpectedly, though Orihime was still holding on ably.

"I'll say you did…" Rukia added, trying not to giggle, turning her head to face Inoue for only a moment before seeing Orihime's bright smile and immediately turning away as if staring into it was staring into the fiery hearth of the sun.

Orihime had the new diaper unfolded, under Rukia and taped up just as another small cry from the blanket next to Rukia foretold the morning awakening of Hinamori, whose thin arms stretched outward from the cocoon of covers like a butterfly birthing itself into the bright new world. Her face was a little rosy on one side from having slept on it with quite a bit of pressure, but otherwise she seemed eager to start the day. She tried to get up, almost forgetting the fact she was still ill. Orihime quickly taped the last securing part of Rukia's new underpants and made her way back to Hinamori. Like a toddler she was fumbling on her feet, falling was imminent.

"I think I can walk…again….I think…." She tumbled without even finishing the sentence, but Orihime caught her in her lap, and a giggle fit was announced throughout the room. Even Rukia laughed a little, hiding her smile with her hands as she let out a titter. "…I guess I was wrong…" Hinamori summed up, laying back on the bed.

"Don't worry, you'll be back on your feet in a little more time, now….let's take care of you, just like Rukia," Orihime consoled, straightening her patient out, as Rukia appeared at Orihime's side with the bag of things. "Why…thank you Rukia!" Orihime said happily, forgetting their age difference once more and petting Rukia on the head like a little kid, to which Rukia furiously imitated a child, giggling with appreciation and glee.

"You're welcome!" Rukia lisped in the most babyish tone she could muster without slurring her words. It almost sounded too real to be sincere, but Orihime was already beginning preparations for the second diaper change of the day and any insincerity in the voice was lost on her. Inoue was lifting legs into the air and giving Momo a wiping with a cool wipe. A similar coo like the one Rukia had made came from the little girl laying upon the futon. The two were locked in a bit of tango with the diaper change, but it was a cute thing. Hands held legs, powder danced in the air, and Hinamori felt the plastic matting slip itself under her and pulled between her. There was one final gasp as the crackles and snaps of the tapes began with Hinamori and Orihime both exhibiting a semi-accomplished grin.

Little beads of sweat appeared on Orihime's forehead, begging to be wiped away, as she stood up from her second change, taking both used diaper to the trash and throwing them in. She'd only been up long enough to shower and change two diapers, but it seemed like just having two "babies" was going to be a lot harder than just one. Rukia had only been up for a few seconds before her own diaper change and already she had a smug look of satisfaction and vindication, feeling quite rewarded for literally being herself, a brat.

"Still hungry…" Rukia reminded precociously, a smile on her face that could melt diamonds.

"I'm a little hungry, too…." Hinamori chimed, as her stomach agreed, sending forth a little growl that sounded as meek and shy as her voice did.

A huge sigh escaped Orihime whilst she leapt up and into the kitchen to make something to eat for her two kids in the living room. As she busied herself there, Rukia slid her padded rear alongside Hinamori and poked her again on the shoulder. Momo wiggled angrily and poked back, with a giggle. Rukia poked again with another giggled in return.

"Stop it, you…" Hinamori said with a mock growl, poking once more.

"Nope," Rukia answered, poking with both hands now, being exceptionally bratty, though this was no surprise to Momo, who poked back.

"I'll getchoo this time!" Hinamori exclaimed, jumping upon Rukia, alerting Inoue immediately who crept from the kitchen expecting to see a repeat of the night before.

Instead she found a entirely different scene altogether. Hinamori and Rukia were upon each other again, but this time they were in a fit of laughter and giggles, poking and fussing like two regular babies. When the "fighting" had stopped the two of them were both red in the face with huge smiles and Orihime could only mimic that smile herself as she returned to the kitchen and came out with her sippy cup, a bottle, and two small bowls of oatmeal. She handed them out and finally collapsed into the beanbag chair as Momo and Miss Kuchiki ate happily, still laughing throughout.

"_It might be karma that I'm stuck with two babies now instead of one…._" Thought Inoue pensively, running those hands of hers through her silky clean carrot tresses. "_But a punishment for me or not, two is better than one,_" she concluded, her glow exponentially increased along with the level of cuteness in the room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Shopping**

After breakfast had been attended to there was the simple matter of just what they were going to do with the day. Orihime had made a list as they ate, and it entailed some very simple things. First off, Orihime had to clean up the house a little bit, it was getting awful dusty, and with each passing moment, Hinamori would give a small hiccup and then a sneeze, obviously she was sensitive to the dust. Afterwards, when the cleaning was done, there laid the matter of diapers. There was but one left, and since one of the resident actually DID need them for a real reason, there would need to be a venture to get them. Orihime wondered if it was indeed intelligent to leave the house with her two babies alone in it.

The first time she had left it was naught but Hinamori alone, sleeping, in the house, which was shamefully inappropriate of her to leave all by her lonesome, especially in the condition she was in when Orihime had left the house. But it was unthinkable to leave two babies in the house, alone, awake, and up to no good as Rukia was definitely known for, which was getting herself into trouble. So, knowing the outcome would not be the best, Orihime went before her baby council with her dilemma.

"No, no way, never, you're not getting me out of this house wearing this!" Rukia exclaimed in indignation, knowing her yellow one-piece would never be able to hide the bulk or crinkle of the diaper, and that Orihime would definitely not see fit to let her take her duly awarded punishment off her behind.

"Uh….ummmm, okay," Hinamori answered afterward, while Rukia still swore and protested loudly in the background. Orihime could only smile to this and nod, and now to work on Rukia.

"Rukia, we need to go to the store and get more diapers, and other food….you can't possibly think it fair to deny Hinamori something she actually requires? Do you?"

"I…but…"

"And don't you think it quite unfair that all we have to eat is oatmeal and juice? Maybe Hinamori's belly is unsettled by the same meal every day, she needs it, or she could very well get sick again…the food is bringing her reiatsu back up!"

"But….and…" Rukia tried to no avail, Orihime made a good guilt-trip, indeed. But suddenly she changed tactic.

"It's the dress, huh?" she asked Rukia, holding at the dress that was still upon Rukia's body.

"I…yes! Yes, it's the dress!" Rukia answered honestly, feeling bad that Orihime might suspect she did not care about Hinamori or her needs.

"Well, I have a bigger dress in my closet, it will definitely fit you, and no one will be able to see your widdle white baby pants," Orihime poked gently on the front of the diaper, giggling to herself as Rukia pulled down on the front of her dress to hide the diaper.

"All right, lemme see the dress then…" Rukia pouted, a deep red splotch covering her face.

"One moment," Orihime chimed gently, getting to her feet as Hinamori followed with her eyes, watching Orihime go towards her closet, from whence so many odd things came. She was almost fearful for Rukia of what the dress would look like.

Rukia's eyes followed too as, once more, the only object that protruded from the closet was Orihime wiggling bottom. She moved back and forth, in the bottom of the closet, through boxes and hampers of yore, looking for the dress.

"I know it's in here somewhere, everything is in here somewhere! I'd worn it a couple of times when I was about 12, when I was the same height and shape as you, Rukia. However, since my little "growth spurt," wearing the dress became an impossible feat with my bosom. So…I stuffed it in a box somewhere in here," Orihime explained, though her voice didn't carry so well from the dark of the closet.

Now she worked to find it once more as her two charges watched with anticipation. Finally the dress was produced. Rukia turned red again, but Hinamori breathed a sigh of relief, it was not comical, though it was quite different.

It was a Lolita dress with frills on the shoulders, neckline, skirt-line, and all. Around the waist were small black chains, covered in sparkling faux gems that glittered and clinked as they were moved. Overall it was black, but the pleats and the collar were decorated with a deep purple, and the shoulders were brilliant white, whiter than would have been expected for something stuffed in a closet. Sleeveless, it looked more like a maid's dress than Lolita, had it not been adorned with the belt and violet. Rukia shut her eyes and tried to pretend it was a dream, but Hinamori admired the dress, she wished she was the one that got to wear it, although her adult clothes would be just fine.

"Why….it looks...different," Rukia said with fake appreciation of the attractive, yet lavishly extravagant dress.

"Thank you, I used to really love this dress, but had to stop wearing it when I inherited these!" Orihime giggled and Hinamori followed as Orihime prodded her naughty pillows as she'd done the padding betwixt Rukia's knees before.

"This is almost as bad as my dress…" Rukia pouted, unhappy with this outcome.

Hinamori wanted to say something, but felt that shyness form a lump in her throat, unbelievable though she swallowed it down hard and tapped Rukia upon the shoulder. She turned, expecting to get a lecture but Hinamori spoke softly, a bit red-faced.

"You can wear my clothes, Rukia. I'd….like to wear the dress," She had her eyes squeezed closed, hoping that if she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her.

"You'd really do that for me?" asked Rukia, tugging on Hinamori's hand, who nodded furiously in reply, refusing to open her eyes.

"All right then, I'll get you Hinamori's clothes, and Hinamori, get ready to put the dress on, I expect you'll need help," Orihime stated with maternal grace, happy that everyone got what they wanted. She hurried off, and soon laid the outfit Hinamori had worn just a while before. Rukia was pleased with this outfit, even if Hinamori's style was not the same as her own. She stood and now found how odd it really did feel to move around with the padding between her legs. Sitting, laying down, rolling around, all of those were simple in the diaper's thickness, but standing and walking were hindered.

"I'm waddling like a duckling!" Rukia complained when skirt and shirt were on well enough that she could move.

"Oh shush, no one will notice," Orihime dismissed, getting Hinamori's tee off and helping her into the dress.

Rukia was going to pout some more, but she decided it was better not to, as she could still feel a slight pain in her bottom, with each waddle she made, a nice and constant reminder of what happened when you made Orihime mad. And anyway, Orihime was now helping Hinamori change, and it would be awfully rude to impede their pace anymore than her pouting had already done. It was best to be a "good baby" rather than a bad one, if she knew what was good for her butt, and she did.

Hinamori stood nice and still only moving when instructed, slipping her arms into the shoulders of the dress as it was pulled over her, and laid out around her middle. It fit her like a glove, and quite comfortably. The chest had a little extra room, but that only made it even more comfortable. Hinamori's face was ruby once more, being helped to dress was an embarrassing moment, but she'd tried standing before, and the consequences of trying to walk alone were already obvious. With Orihime's help, she was once more on her feet, now she too recognized the padding between her legs as Orihime helped her talk a couple of steps, the dress falling nicely around her as she did.

The "crinkle, crinkle, crinkle" of each step the two of them took echoed in the silent room, Rukia pensively examining the spectacle, hoping Hinamori would not need to be ushered through town like this. As if watching an infant toddle with the help her parent, Orihime grinned with reassuring sparkles in her eyes, meeting Hinamori's grateful glance upward. Finally, Orihime let go of Hinamori's hands, there was a moment of disorientation and Orihime stood poised to catch her little one, but Hinamori righted and centered herself and took two of three steps to the wall on her own, putting her hand out and balancing herself a bit against the sturdy side of the room.

"Almost!" Orihime congratulated, patting Hinamori's bottom, sending clinks of metal from the belt, and hushed crinkles from the diaper. Hinamori turned beet, but nodded.

"I wanna try a little more….I think I can…" she said confidently, pushing off the wall without further ado and making a small, shuffle towards the other side of the room, and the beanbag chair there.

Momo kept her mind fixated on the beanbag chair; it gave her a purpose, a goal. It wasn't so much as pain holding her back, but a stiffness in her legs and hips, the diaper wasn't helping, but even without it there wouldn't be much difference in the way she walked, there was an impedance either way. After about a half minute of hardscrabble shuffling and limping, Hinamori balanced herself on the wall nearest the chair and turned back to Orihime.

"Good job!" Orihime cheered, clapping, treating Hinamori as if she really was her baby, and taking her first fledgling steps. "Now come to momma," Orihime beckoned, her hands extended, fingers making an invisible pull on Hinamori.

Rukia found this quite comical, and herself toddled, in a half waddle, towards Orihime, finally making some sort of progress in halting her waddling, but not much at all. She was scarlet in doing this, a scarlet of embarrassment. But she'd rather her face be red than her bottom, so didn't dare question the diaper at all. She turned and leaned herself against the wall and watched Hinamori intently begin her walk towards Orihime. It was sturdier now, and it was only a moment before Hinamori had taken her first real stride and reached Orihime in a human pace.

"I did it!" Hinamori exclaimed, almost surprised by her own excitement, but proud that she was no a little less dependant on hard-working Orihime, who had cared for her these last couple of days, hand and foot, for the little invalid she'd become.

"Yes, you did! What a wonderful, big girl!" Orihime coaxed, as even Rukia grinned, enjoying how Hinamori was babied and she got off light. Orihime then turned to Rukia and pulled her upright. She patted Rukia's bottom extensively, as if testing how bulky or visible the diaper was through the skirt, and fussed with Rukia's hair for a moment, before deciding it was fine. "There, no both of you are good to go,"

To this Rukia grumbled, and walked towards the door with that waddling toddle that made her feel both babyish and stupid. Hinamori, too, limped towards the door, and just as Orihime got her purse and made for the exit, she remembered forgetting to dust and clean. A deep sigh issued and Inoue bopped herself on the head.

"Well, I'll do it when we get home…" she told herself aloud.

"Do what?" asked Momo sweetly, curious now.

"Clean up a bit, nothing special, let's go," Orihime ordered in captainly fashion, before marching out the door and towards the stores.

Hinamori could not help dawdling behind, tripping on her own feet here and there, the squish and crinkle of the diaper at each fell wrong step made her blush and yip, as if the barely empty street was judging her. Rukia too had kept a slower pace, as it seemed to downgrade the sound level of each little sound that may alert people to the fact that under the skirt was not a pair of panties.

With their pace severely hindered, Orihime found herself cutting the act of being upright and fast, and hanging back with her two little ones, though they just looked like simple friends out on a walk in the way they were currently assembled. Hinamori tried to focus on the street and the lovely dress she was wearing, but two things hindered her. One was the feeling of the diaper, with each movement it chafed delicately, not painfully but annoying, and the second reason was the feeling she would soon wet said diaper, feeling hot and upset just at the thought of peeing in public, even if no one would be able to see it or tell.

However, as they hurried down the street with a limp, a waddle, and a restrained stride, Hinamori knew it was inevitable, and worrying about it was only making it worse. She took her mind immediately off of her bladder and continued walking. The warmth accumulating between her legs from walking would make it hard to know if she was wet anyway, so why even bother worrying about it? She nodded to herself, silently, and looked at Rukia, whose strained face implied great hardship. Rukia struggled here and there, her waddle only making it more difficult as she randomly began pulling down on the back of the skirt, as if an invisible eye was trying to peek and would certainly know the different between the white of panties and the white of a diaper with only one furtive glance.

When the store was in sight, there were two audible sighs of relief from either side of Orihime. She looked from Rukia to Hinamori and shook her head back and forth genially.

"I hope that was a sigh of relief in only ONE way," she joked gently.

"As if I'd do THAT here!" Rukia replied angrily, and stuck her tongue out like a sore child.

"Don't be fresh," Orihime replied coyly, swatting Rukia's bottom playfully, causing her to go wide-eyed and chalantly stare at all the people in the vicinity, as if they now knew, and were aware of her state. Hinamori said nothing, shaking her head in dismay of Rukia's boldness.

For a moment there was a brief halt while Rukia peered about her. There was only four other people on the street besides them, one was a mother and her little daughter, quite ironically. The other was an old man caning his way down the street, and the last was a grade school girl, walking to who knows where, all were easily ignorable, and Rukia ignorable to them. With that she continued and the others did too, walking into the store.

Orihime made no business looking like she was buying anything else but diapers, while Rukia and Hinamori milled about the front of the store, pretending they knew nothing of what Inoue was going to buy. Both were a bit embarrassed, just to be outside was risking being found out, and the shame that might follow would be too great to bear!

Back at the incontinence aisle, Orihime took her time looking over the brands of diapers that sat upon the shelf. She noted the ones she had bought before, and that they seemed to have a good level of absorption, but she was also looking to see if there might be a better one, one that would allow less changes, and therefore would forego another trip to the store if Hinamori didn't fully recover soon. Her hobble was much too slow, and the work she put into it made it clear that she'd be defenseless in battle. Rest was order, and since she showed no sign of regained continence, this was the only option, since she couldn't very well have puddles, could she? And she very well couldn't let Rukia off after just one diaper change, could she?

No, and that was that. She pulled up a package that said "Overnight" on it. This package was heavier than the one she'd previously bought, and since it contained the same size and amount of briefs, she was sure this one had to be much thicker, and by that methodology, much more absorbent. Snapping her fingers she remembered to get a new pacifier on the way back, since Hinamori had used one, it meant Rukia would need her OWN. This one was nice and white, simple but elegant, perfect for naughty Miss Kuchiki.

Finally she went to get some more food, some canned soup looked good, and even though they had had soup before, it was better than nothing. She picked up two cans and kept moving, then a little bit of bread, since that would add substance to the soup, which was needed if they were trying to bring Hinamori's fortitude back up to speed. Lastly she got another carton of juice, the one she'd filled Rukia with before. That accomplished she made towards the front of the store. She carried these things openly, right to the front of the store, past one or two customers without a blush or turn of her head. She set them upon the counter and then turned to Rukia and Hinamori.

"Do you two need anything before we get these and leave?" her voice was still, calm, and cool, causing the two of them to shudder and say nothing at being included in the purchase of diapers.

"I'm okay…" Rukia said before shutting her mouth as quickly as possible, not knowing what she could say.

"I am a little thirsty, mo-Inoue," Hinamori chirped softly, catching herself from calling Orihime "mommy" in public.

"All right, get a drink then," Orihime said sighing and giving a laugh that the cashier, a young man in his early twenties, by the look of him, mimicked uncomfortably, weirded out by their purchase, but too fond of his job to ask questions.

Hinamori hurried, as best she could, to the back, ignoring the crinkles that were masked by the clinking of her chain link belt. She looked through the drinks, before noticing something as she ran her hand along the cool bottles. She closed her eyes and prayed it stopped before she had an accident. She felt her body empty itself a little more and then opened her eyes and looked at the floor. Thankfully there was no puddle, no telltale signs of what had just occurred. She cursed herself on the inside but shook her head hard.

'Not a big deal, really, just get a drink and walk back, Hinamori!' she encouraged herself, grabbing a soda and returning to the front, a little slower than before.

She reached the counter as Rukia began tapping her feet, quite uncomfortable and wanting to be home as soon as possible, where she would be in private and away from all the people who could find out her secret, it was dangerous her, dangerous to her overwhelming pride, and the cashier's looks weren't helping. But overall they got out fine, the diapers and paci were collected in a nice black bag and the soda was handed back to Hinamori who popped the top and drank a few sips as if her life depended on it, if only to calm her nerves. The way back was calm, and quiet for most of the way.

"Well, are either of my little babies wet?" Orihime inquired bluntly when they were in an area that was not so densely near to people. Both turned red, but only one got a little closer to Orihime to nod and respond.

"I am….a little, I think a little at least," Hinamori said, thought it was an obvious lie, having realized back in the store that she'd near on flooded the entire padding, and was in dire need of a change, if not now then sooner.

"Hmm, well, you're lucky there are no places to do it here….just kidding," Orihime joked, rubbing Hinamori upon the head. "And what about you Rukia?" she asked, turning back to the other raven coiffed kiddie.

"I'm QUITE dry!" Rukia pouted, crossing her arms. She indeed had not needed to go, but would have probably had the same dilemma she'd come across that morning, with the inability to go even when she had to.

As they crossed the threshold back into the Inoue residence, each member took off their shoes, stowed them, and milled into the living room. Hinamori nursed her drink for a little bit as she sat on the floor near the table, happy to be back in side and sitting down. She huffed a bit, exhausted from the trip. She conked out only a moment or so later her drink bottle emptied and skirt all in disarray. It rode up as she fell back on the lump of pillows in the corner, and exposed was the off-yellow discoloring of the once pearly padding that was affixed between her legs. Rukia pulled Hinamori's skirt down, if only to keep her from looking so precociously more babyish than she already did.

Orihime set down the bag and settled everything. She took out the pacifier and turned to Rukia, extending it to her after removing it from the packaging. Rukia just looked at it for a moment.

"Here, come on, you'll need it for nap time," she insisted, pushing it at Rukia's lips, who knew better, and let it pass.

"I don't need a nap…" Rukia lisped through a muffled mouth, pacifier obscuring her words almost to incomprehensibility.

"See, you're cranky, so yes you do need one, off to bed!" Orihime insisted, settling Rukia next to Hinamori and pulling a sheet over both of them.

"I really don't…." Rukia pouted, smarter than to take the pacifier out, so she talked through one side of her mouth.

"Hmm, if not a nap then what, Miss Cranky? Maybe another spanky?" Orihime falsely threatened, though it needn't be honest sounding to make Rukia shake her head wildly back and forth.

"No, no, I feel tired all of a sudden…" she faked a yawn, throwing her arms back in a stretch. "…yes, I could use a nap now, definitely!"

Orihime turned away to clean as Rukia tried her best to fall asleep. Eventually she did find that she was tired. The "excitement" of being out of the house in diapers was enough to put her out almost as fast as Hinamori.

Dusting came first for Orihime and she quickly became bored, finishing the dusting and giving up, throwing herself to the beanbag chair and playing with her hair while looking at Hinamori and Rukia snore away. Again she was filled with motherly pride, and a little bit of longing, knowing she could not keep Hinamori, and Rukia, babied forever. But she set her mind on enjoying it for now and worrying about it later.

Orihime fell to her laziness not even ten minutes later, snoring deeply, filling the room now with that cacophonic pitch of snores that echoed without rhyme or rhythm. With them all asleep, there was no one to notice the spark of a small reiatsu far across the other side of town. The slit cracked open, the door to the world of hollows was silent and invisible to anyone who was not spiritually aware. From the mire of gray that swirled beyond the gate stepped a figure, indiscernible as a shadow against the shades of pall that covered the entirety of the entranceway. But one thing was certain…the figure was human….


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Target: "Mommy" Orihime?!**

_A few days before, in Hueco Mundo…_

A lumbering shadow tumbled out of a portal carved into the grayscale landscape that covered all of Hueco Mundo, the eponymous homeland of the Hollows. Covering its face was sanguine ichor, pouring downward in droves as its body flailed and limped, covering the sand in large, pounding sounds. Like medusa's snakes, its tentacle covered hair whipped about wildly, according to its own designs, spewing poison constantly, unable to control the flow in spite of all the pain rocketing through its skull. Through the pain it finally began to wail, shockwaves of dust and sand crossing throughout the borders of the realm, pushing backwards the crystalline trees, and driving tiny hollows into the shadows and sands. Staggering, and then bolting, the window hollow made towards an indeterminate origin.

After a long journey, trail of blood following behind it, the Gillian class Hollow arrived at the gates of Las Noches, arrancar guards noted its presence immediately.

"Turn back, scum, Lord Aizen's palace is no place for you!" the guard cried angrily, hand on his blade, willing to strike.

"Mmrrm grmma fyooord!" the hollow muffled in gibberish, amongst screams and desolate cries.

"I'm warning you, Gillian! Turn back now!"

"Lyoerd iziin asva meeeh!" the hollow shouted, its mutterings sounding almost like actual words. It moved not now, standing complacently at the gates, as if _expecting_ the right to enter.

"Gillian, Las Noches is not a place for your kind, only your kin chosen by Aizen are allowed to pass!" the guard warned, hoping the hollow knew what was good for it, and would sink back below the sands, to the Menos Forest, where it belonged.

"Maiiii…..purrace….miiii prace…..my place…." The hollow murmured, its words becoming a clear mantra.

"No, this is not your place, now turn back. You were not summoned!" the guard warned once more.

"MY PLACE!" the hollow screamed, its hand coming down incredibly swift. The arrancar guard lifted his sword, but it was too late, the hand crumpled steel and boned, smashing the arrancar down in a magnificent display of raw power and injured fury.

The turncoat Arrancar who had just seen his comrade slaughtered, by a Gillian of all hollows, turned and bolted towards the gate, running back towards the compound, where stronger comrades could be summoned to deal with this rogue. The white movement and the flapping of the body were nearly unnoticed by the other hollow, which slowly approached the gate just as sonido level speed brought the gate guard to the outpost farther in.

"Sir! We have a rogue Gillian at the gates…I don't know how…but, he….he…" the scout arrancar sputtered, still not able to believe it.

"What did he do, gatekeeper!" the arrancar outpost guard demanded.

"Don't know how…but the Gillian…KILLED Zeliel…"

Both arrancar just froze as the approaching shockwaves of each footfall of the approaching monster brought the realization that this was not just an ordinary Gillian. There was a short moment of apprehension before they sent a signal to the main compound of Las Noches.

"This is West Entrance outpost, to Commander Ichimaru Gin….we have a rogue Gillian, capable of killing a gatekeeper arrancar scout, please send stronger reinforcements!" There was a moment of silence and then the radio crackled back to life. The fox-like, smooth as silk reply of Ichimaru returned.

"Oh, ho? Really? Well, I might have to inform Lord Aizen, first…."

"But, Lord Ichimaru! The hollow is…." too late, a foot collapsed the outpost roof, bringing the ceiling and an immense out of reiatsu pressure down upon the hiding arrancar inside.

Gin took sly steps, his robes moving with a grace that only a weasel could propagate. It was elegant, but fake, and he slipped into Aizen's chamber without a word of welcome, something only he seemed able to do, as anyone else would immediately garner ardor from Ulquiorra, who seemed to gravitate constantly to his lord.

"What is it, Gin?" Aizen asked, knowing the presence of his cunning colleague without so much as turning his view from the endless night sky that pervaded all of Hueco Mundo in placid, monotone darkness.

"A hollow, my liege…" Gin said with all but the most "highly" revered respect.

"That lumbering fool, expelling all that reiatsu outside?" Ulquiorra asked.

"The same…" replied Gin, a hint of interest in his voice.

"I'll have to great the prospective new member of our family…" Aizen stood, needing not another word for Gin to open his eyes in that very rare moment and grin devilishly.

"I'll return to my post then, _Lord_ Aizen," Gin mused, his impudence as thick as sekiseki stone, and just as porous and spiritually absorbent.

Aizen spoke not another word as the floor spiraled open and revealed the most coveted prize of all, the Orb of Distortion. He took up his arrancar-forging ball of iridescent light, and continued out of the room, leaving it in darkness that only happened when his radiance left it. Gin slinked out afterwards, and Ulquiorra last. Aizen appeared in the courtyard, where the hollow raged, screaming out as lowly arrancar battled it back futilely.

"LORD AIZEN, LORD AIZEN!" The hollow curdled, blood drenching all of its mask from the struggle with the many arrancar servants that circled it, finally having it somewhat contained.

"I am here, your master," Aizen spoke, with voice like chalk dust, something so fine it could spread the air invisibly, yet quite there. All heads turned, and their loud friend said no more.

"L-lord Aizen! We can handle this beast, please do not soil your hands!" a scout spoke, out of turn. Aizen's mere glance crippled him with humility and regret.

"I'm here to help our friend, not do away with her…" Aizen explained, aware of the hollow's gender without any connotation of it. "…and now if you would all please step away,"

Doing as they were told, the Arrancar dispersed, and alone stood the Lord of Las Noches, the and the rogue hollow. With just a flick of his hand the Orb of Distortion slipped from hiding in his robes and floated above the ground, a shaft of white stone extending directly from the sand to catch it. From the feet of the hollow now exploded a wordless seal, covering it in icy crystal, so thick that the cold caused one last scream to erupt from its mouth as crystal dived down through the throat, enveloping all. Aizen approached his mystical tool, placing his hand over it.

"You show promise…for a Gillian to kill Adjuchas level arrancar….it's almost inconceivable. Maybe you will make a fine numeros. And all you need is just a taste of the reiatsu of one whose strength is double that of a Shinigami Captain…." And that was his cue, Aizen's hand grasped the Orb of Distortion and in a blazing flash of light, rainbows shards of color filling the dreary white court.

The crystalline structure encasing the arrancar shattered, along with a thick white husk, all that was left of its monstrous size shattered upon impact with the ground, covering everything in a healthy shadow of dust. Aizen but grinned, turned around, readying to return to his throne room, and said:

"Before you go off to have your revenge…tell me, what is your name….Numeros?" A red eye lit from the dust, causing a swirl of reiatsu to collapse it around the figure. All but covered, the new arrival stood, clutching their blade. In full view, the lips, colored black, beautifully pillowy, spoke.

"I am….Desutennei, my liege…."

The female arrancar, skin painted the color of caramel, purple hair draping down to its knees, genuflected to those very knees and paid homage to Aizen, the one who'd given new birth to her. The eye that had glowed red was a hazel gold now, burning like the still flaming embers of a fire that would never quench. The eye that had not shined though, as encased slightly in bone mold of a hollow mask, formed perfectly in a circle, a slit opened for the view of an eye that didn't exist, offering a view of the white wall behind her from the hole that passed straight through her head. The body was bare, like that of all newborn arrancar, droplets of sweat and the remnants of the crystal that enclosed it dripped tirelessly from her bare flesh. Breasts, not so modestly sized, waited to be covered from the coolness of Hueco Mundo, but she dare not break the bow until commanded by her lord.

"Well then, get dressed, I believe you have some place you were so eager to be, am I right?" Aizen inquired, turning just an eye back to his new follower, whose tanned skin still showed considerable blushing to be looked upon by her lord in such a shameless state.

"Right away, m'lord!" Desutennei strode determinedly towards the castle, shoving a scout from her path, taking his jacket without speech, and hurried into Las Noches, covering herself as she did. Aizen waited a moment and looked back at his scouts.

"To your posts…" they all jumped, as fast as their bodies could muster, at Aizen's command.

_Present day…_

The wormhole opened, like that of a zipper, the sound of the gaping maw clawed out to those who, if spiritually powerful, could hear it. From behind the shadows stood the one who'd brazenly assaulted Las Noches, and who had gained Aizen's favor from her boldness. The fuzzy static, as though a television had been opened in space, obscured Desutennei for a moment, but not much more. She stepped past the threshold, it zipped on up, leaving her standing in the sky, looking upon Karakura town with a menacing glance.

The hem of her skirt blew in the breeze. Below she could see her image in the water, the first she'd seen of it; even dressing without getting a glimpse of the sleek and sexy body her lord had endowed her with, so graciously. The dress and frilly undergarment below it fluttered like leaves, picking up at her waist and causing the tassels at her waist to dance with the wind. Her corset fixed top, milky white like everything but the edgings of her dress and sleeves, had a low v-cut, exposing cleavage she admired for its fullness and beauty. The sleeves of her shirt ended in lace and frills, and nails dyed a deep black adorned her fingers, so well trimmed and sharpened. She was more than ready for that naughty girl who wounded her.

"Now, where are you….where are you, Inoue Orihime?" came Desutennei, literally sitting in the sky now, pensively stretching out her senses over the city, looking for the one that had wounded her. She could not immediately find a reiatsu signature. How could it be that someone strong enough to wound her could effectively silence her reiatsu nearly entirely? Or more accurately, it might have been that Desutennei's newfound powers were not honed enough yet to find Orihime when she was not actively using her powers. That's when it hit her.

"I poisoned a smaller opponent too, that day, if my powers have been retained, I can track her by the poison's scent…."

A quick sniff of the air flooded the hollow's nose with many scents from all around her, none stood out as one that was uniquely her own, the smell of her poison used to infect Hinamori. She took a deeper breath, loud and audibly, causing a slight tremor of energy.

At the Inoue residence, Orihime's eyes clenched a little in sleep, feeling the small wave of temple energy, but ignoring it. She opened one eye gently, to look around the room, focusing on Hinamori for a moment. Her breathing was steady and healthy, and that was enough for Orihime to close her eyes and try to get back to sleep. And just then the scent caught Desutennei's nose.

"There you are, my little prey…if Inoue Orihime is not with you….I can use you to find her…" she concluded, standing and walking above the city, steadily homing in on the scent of her poison, still coursing weakly, and in very much smaller amounts, in Hinamori's spiritual system.

The trail lead around the town, seemed that she'd appeared on the totally opposite side of her quarry, but no loss, she'd have time to focus on getting her revenge for being wounded, and then she could return victorious to Aizen. Focused now, Desutennei could not keep a meandering pace, and found her wings on the wind, bulleting throughout the town, carelessly sending out shockwaves of energy, triggering senses of even the dullest of spiritual powers. At least she arrived, the scent was powerful, she could not tell which house below it came from, but it was there.

Already inside the Inoue residence, all three senses had been considerably perked, the effect close to being drenched with cold water, or hot coffee, whilst asleep. Three heads rose immediately, the feeling of reiatsu scraped at them, causing shivers and ebbs in the air about them.

"What is THAT?" Rukia exclaimed, her eyes widening a bit, not having felt the signature of an Arrancar this close since Grimmjow impaled her.

"I've felt this reiatsu before, but last time…it was much weaker," Orihime warned, standing up.

Hinamori too had risen. "But….how?" she asked, having too felt that signature before. "How could it have gotten that strong, and recovered that quickly?"

"Because the hollow that attacked you didn't recover, Hinamori, it became an Arrancar…" Rukia said forebodingly.

"A-an….arrancar?" Hinamori's voice was rapt with fear "Is it looking for us?"

"Probably," Inoue said with an air of protectiveness. "Rukia and I will take care of this arrancar, Hinamori you don't have to get involved in your condition…." Orihime said with a mother's caution.

It took a moment to summon the courage, but when it did it raced through Hinamori violently, she sat up instantly, and her hand threw back the hair in front of her face. She looked up at Orihime, who looked surprised by the mere display. Momo smiled brightly.

"I will do no such thing, Inoue; we should fight this arrancar….together."

"She's right, some arrancar are not particularly strong, but just by the sheer force of this one….it will take all of us to defeat it. And with the chaos of all the meetings in soul society, it will be a little bit before they can send anyone to help…" Rukia conjectured, already popping in a soul candy and exploding forth from her body, holding her zanpakuto close.

"All right then, get ready and out of your gigai, Hinamori, sweetie. We'll send this arrancar back for good!" Orihime exclaimed confidently.

All three nodded and, Hinamori found her soul candy amongst the pile of her effects from the first day she was brought over, and took her pill. Coming out of her body, she stood wobbly on her feet, not totally good as new, but feeling a lot more spry in her soul form than in her gigai. Orihime stood warily at the door, and in a flash, threw it open, Hinamori and Rukia flash stepped from the entrance into the street, and Orihime jumped off the railing and landed beside them.

Immediately, Desutennei looked down, the magnitude of the poison scent had increased, and the bearer was apparent. Hinamori, Orihime, and Rukia stood firmly, looking up at their opponent whose lips were licked voraciously, as if dinner had conveniently just arrive and was ready to eat. Descending, landed Desutennei on the street, a sparse couple of yards from the three of them.

"We meet again, Inoue Orihime, Hinamori Momo…and unknown shinigami…"

"Too soon to see something like you again," Orihime retorted angrily, her blood boiling, coursing to look upon the one who'd hurt Hinamori.

"Now, now, you don't have to be so rude, I've just come to thank you in my own special way….because frankly you're like my mother…."

"I am nothing like that to you!" Orihime replied coldly, angrily.

"Oh, but you are! See, if you hadn't blinded me so egregiously in this eye, I'd never haven wandered to Aizen's Palace, never staggered into the courtyard, and never would have become an Arrancar. So I only have you to thank….."mommy"," Desutennei teased, grinning a toothy, sharp fanged grin through her black covered lips.

Hinamori clenched her teeth, offended at the idea of this arrancar calling Orihime "mommy." She tightened her grip on the bindings of the sword and tore it out of its sheath.

"Don't speak such vile lies, fiend!" Hinamori shouted with ardor, her hand cusped over the blade of her sword. "Snap! Tobiume!"

Consumed in pink fire that burned at her exploding reiatsu, Hinamori released her zanpakuto, and pointed the jitte-pronged tip at Desutennei's chest.

"My, my, someone is ready to fight, aren't they? Recovered from my poison, have you? You must be stronger than you look, little baby shinigami,"

"You'll eat those words, you…you…monster!"

"Come and feed them to me, little one," an insult was thrown back.

Enraged, Hinamori could not control herself, as Rukia and Orihime watched she reacted by taking a couple of brazen steps forward. She stumbled closer, closing the gap to a few feet, an act that Desutennei accepted, letting the sword move all the way until it was perched between her bosom, nearly pricking her lovely brazed cream hued flesh. She nodded to Hinamori.

"Come now….pierce me….do it," she coaxed.

Hinamori's eyes went wide with fury. The end of Tobiume glowed a fierce reddish pink and exploded outward, she sent flying a kido ball of immense power, and stabbed through it at the same time. She felt her blade completely stop. The blast glanced off the chest and shoulders of the enemy, a pink cloud evaporating, the force sending tresses, and locks of pure violet backward for a moment, but otherwise proving useless. The tip of Tobiume stood pressed against the iron-strength skin of the Arrancar, causing neither dimpling of said flesh, or a cut.

"How?" Hinamori exclaimed, fear growing in her chest, pushing the blade with all her might, so hard the reiatsu from her feet crushed at the pavement, sending impacts of her footfalls into it. "How, how, how?!"

Desutennei let her head fall back in laughter as a hand quickly came and swatted Tobiume away with amazing strength. Rukia wasted not another moment; this was an opportunity to strike. As Hinamori moved to the side with her blade, Rukia unsheathed hers.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki! Now, White Ripple!" from the tip of her blade, in a slashing arc, flew towards the enemy a flash of white, ice freezing everything in it's path, skewering and slashing what it would not freeze. It consumed the enemy in white, then glassy ice. Success! Desutennei was frozen solid.

"Is that all? I should have worn a jacket!" a voice echoed from the ice.

Only able to now look on in shock, Orihime, Rukia, and Hinamori watched the ice as it cracked right through and Desutennei's hands blasted from the thick block. Freeing the rest of her being with a twist a kick she sent snow and shards of ice back at Rukia who shielded herself with the sleeve of her hakama. Rukia pulled back a few steps, as Hinamori did the same.

"Are you two playing with me, or are you just babies?" Desutennei asked, throwing her hands up in the air, frustrated with their lack of spirit. "If you're not going to be serious, maybe you should let our mommy, over there, fight…." There was a glance directly at Orihime.

"No!" both said at the same time, Orihime now blocked and guarded quite effectively by Rukia and Hinamori, who slightly resembled sisters, their weapons drawn and pointed at the enemy.

"You'll get no such satisfaction," Rukia snarled.

"You aren't worth Orihime soiling her hands on you!" Hinamori added with venom.

A visible, dark, and torrid blush streaked Orihime's face; she couldn't help but smile, even though they were obviously facing quite a powerful foe. Her hands went up to cover both blush and grin, so the enemy could not see her jubilation. Inoue was glad that she'd been the type of mother figure that these two lovely girls would want to defend. Just having Desutennei mention Orihime made Rukia and Orihime respond with such fearsome desire to protect and make proud. It was an interesting feeling deep inside Orihime's heart. Mommy was being protected by her babies, an odd turn of events indeed, but one that made Orihime feel as though she'd definitely done a good job over the past week, to warrant such emotion towards her.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: To Protect Those Who Care About You

**Chapter 15: To Protect Those Who Care About You**

Stood two firm, Rukia and Hinamori, foils pointed in a crossing motion at the chest of the assaulting arrancar. Desutennei leered licentiously back, her sneer no mere vestige of hubris, she'd fought them back with nary half her ability before, and she looked as though she would do it again. But not calculated was the fact that she'd done something quite unintelligent. She insulted the one who'd cared for Rukia and Hinamori whilst they were vulnerable. Even Rukia, regressed against her will, felt the bond of a daughter for Orihime. Stronger still was Hinamori, sickened once by Desutennei, rescued by the one she'd near on fallen in love with; her resolve welled deeply.

Orihime's blush faded not still caught off guard by the show of loyalty and devotion from the two she'd not cared for more than a pittance of time. Still, they had had quite a bit of adventure, and shared a bit of fun that none of them would forget, for at least a little while. And threatening that was Desutennei, the unfinished business of Tsubaki's attack. Without vanquishing this new few there would be no more play dates, diaper changes, or, if needed, spankings. This made Orihime's essence run redder and hotter, just like her "babies."

"I won't get the satisfaction?" Desutennei mused, regarding their formation with egotistical disregard. "Satisfaction is the entire reason I'm here, widdle ones!" She turned heel, turning her backs to the two that so gritted their teeth with abjection.

"That's right, you won't touch momm…err…Orihime!" Hinamori's retort was bolstered, but unable still to shed nearly calling the one who'd spent a delightful week with her "mommy."

"Exactly, foul one! You won't what you're looking for here! Don't turn your back on us!" from Rukia a call of support came.

Both Rukia and Orihime shot projectile attacks at Desutennei, a wave of ice on the ground, and a plum-hued sphere of energy above. The timed attacks came just as their enemy turned around. Hopping mid-air, caramel body twisted leg moving up just a bit, smashing ice, as forearm batted energy into the air where it exploded radiantly, but ineffectually. Landing, a sigh issued, one thoroughly fed up with this act.

"Are you two little ones only capable of one attack a piece?"

"Again!" Hinamori screamed with passion, eyes wide, enraged like only one time before in her life, "Tobiume!"

Fierce was the vital energy that spilled forth, more a ray of blasting energy that a ball, it barreled forward like a pink-purple cero blast, and collided with the awaiting arm of the arrancar. Desutennei held that one arm against the attack, holding it at bay, but Rukia found opening and struck from the side. But a hand just barely reached across and pulled blade from sheath, Desutennei's sword caught the attack, and a slight kick warded any further more. With Rukia pushed back, Desutennei turned her open palm holding the beam into a fist. Crimson energy crackled, unbeknownst to Hinamori.

"Bala…." A Cheshire grin met Desutennei's face.

"Hinamori! Watch out!" Rukia alerted from the ground, but the bala was instant.

What could only be called a punch of pure reiatsu collided into the blast of energy from Tobiume and tore it in twain, ramming through the entire purple wave and smacking Hinamori upon her chest, scattering dust as it sent the little shinigami to the pavement a few feet ahead of Orihime. She ran forward, but Hinamori raised her hand, shakily regaining her footing.

"I won't lose that easily!"

"And neither will I!" Rukia snapped back to attention, again at the side of her partner, blade raised.

"It seems you two don't know when to just step aside and let me take care of what I need to do, fine then…."

The blade she'd not taken more than a glance at was now being unsheathed proper, as Desutennei removed sword from scabbard. The wrap was goldenrod, shining in the pallid light of the day. The sheath, now pushed to the back of the arrancar's dress, was golden light the brightest daylight as well, shining with pigment of actual aurum. Her guard was a obsidian, and just as gloriously radiant, if not vacuously vibrant.

"Come now, let's see what this sword can do, other than block puny attacks!" taunted the opponent.

Footing and leverage applied, Rukia bolted first, Hinamori behind her, striking position, sword raised. Rukia came from the side, the blade of Shirayuki whistling through, as if cutting the air itself, and contacting blade. Hinamori, in that moment, came from above, though as if in two places at once, it was blocked by the sword of their opponent. The sword-to-sword clanks, pings, and other various vibrato, filled the air. Hinamori unleashing the best her ability to swing a blade could afford. Rukia putting all her training to the test, neither making Desutennei lose inch or centimeter of footing, her one handed fencing reflecting all forays.

"Why?! Why?! Why are so so strong?" Rukia, dismayed, raged at her opponent, her blade swung with more fury than tech now, and more ardor than planning, leaving wide gaps in her movements.

A hand came in, moving right past the defense of Rukia, as if it was in slow motion, frozen in time. Utter horror swirled into Rukia's face, and then Orihime too mimicked it, unable to move as the hand turned as if to punch, and that crackling energy came forth. "Bala."

Rukia found her body implanted in the wall of a building, soot and dust floating around her, the power of that one strike so impossibly strong, much stronger than she'd just fumed at. Her body trembled, and despite the rage, cried out in protest when Rukia lifted herself to her feet. She wanted to fall back down, to lay there, but an overwhelmed Hinamori, beckoned her without words or glances.

"Just remember, I never asked you to go and get yourselves killed, my fight is with your momma, little babies!" jeered Desutennei, unwittingly continuing a very ironic, relevant set of jokes.

"Shut up!" Hinamori's protest was now more of a whine in intonation.

Desperate to even strike, to glance a blow off the opponent, she swung blindly, madly, at that body of evil before her. But as before, each strike met blade, blurs of steel moving from the hand of the enemy showed an impressive swordplay.

"_If only Toushiro was here, if only Ai….no!_" Hinamori silenced her internally bickering in time to catch the weakness in it. "_This is my battle, my battle to protect, my battle of pride and honor! I….me, and Rukia!"_

"This isn't the time for inner monologue!" interrupted Desutennei, foregoing a bala to simply pound Hinamori wherever she could land a punch past Tobiume, which struggled precariously in the hand's of its owner.

Hinamori was glanced at the shoulder, spinning her round through the air like a top, rolling as she reached the ground. Her hakama was in shambles, covered in dirt, now showing the wear and tear of battle, but she stood again. Rukia had forced herself up and walking as well. From either side of their enemy, Hinamori and Rukia pulled their swords back into position. Orihime finally had to interject.

"You don't have to do all this fighting for me you two! Really….I'm touched, right down to the bottom of my heart….but….but I don't want to see you two hurt this much!"

Orihime stamped her foot angrily, her lips pursed in a pout of distaste at Desutennei, whom she glared towards, but only after soft regard toward both of her little wards. She raised her hands to her head before she was cut off.

"Orihime, please…don't!" Hinamori said, closing her eyes and then opening them again with confidence. "We need to do this, let us fight…..please, just a little more!"

Orihime let her hands drop, but even if it was enough, Rukia too felt she had something to say. She stopped shaking from her last blow and turned to Orihime with confidence. Her hair was terribly mussed up, but her eyes shone.

"Yes, this is our battle of pride, let us struggle, if but a little longer, for the sake of our pride, we have to at least _try_ to protect you…"

Seeing this resolve, it was impossible for Orihime to react. She took a step back and her view shifted from one to the other, the two she'd chastised, babied, fed, changed, been mother to overall. She had so much fun in that short time span, and felt a deep connection to the two who raised their blade, after being beat back time and time again. Her own patience was reformed, and she nodded to the both of them.

"Go ahead, but you've already made me very happy, and proud!" she cheered, tears building in her eyes, having not felt such adoration from someone before, not from Kurosaki, or Tatsuki, or even Chizuru.

"How touching, if I wasn't so intent on beating you up and down, I'd be curious to see why these two little squirts adore you so much, mama…" Desutennei stabbed in, viscerally centering the conversation back on her, not pleased with standing there as the little family reunion took place.

"Shut up, fell fiend, don't you dare talk to her like that!" Hinamori's interjection was followed by the lowering of her blade and a charge at the enemy.

Like before, the attack was deflected. However, she pulled back on the blade and dived it forward, stabbing upward at Desutennei's breast. This caused the enemy to retreat for one of the first times in the battle. Though hardly anything to boast about, it raised the spirits of both combatants on the side of Orihime, it was possible to push the enemy back! Rukia came from the other side, her sword hand raised, diving the white blade down on the golden handled sword of the arrancar. She pushed down, instead of trying to attack again, and Hinamori used this moment to come down from the other angle.

Desutennei kicked forward and nicked Tobiume, sending Hinamori jumping back as Rukia was overpowered and had to retreat as well. The reports of an arrancar's strength had not been anywhere near falsified. They were certainly on par with a captain, without even using the inert powers of their blade in combat. Rukia twirled her blade, no longer content with simply attack with her kenjutsu.

"First dance, white moon!" Rukia sent up a pillar of ice, of course it was dodged, no matter how nigh instantly it froze a column of spiritual ice high into the air. Desutennei appear unscathed, but it was not over.

"Snap, Tobiume!" Hinamori called, skirting around the pillar of ice, to Desutennei's back.

The ball of whirling, chaotic energy struck at the rear of the enemy, pushing her forward a bit, as if shoved. Desutennei turned and dove her blade and body down at the ground, Hinamori fled as a crater impact formed in the center of the street. Rukia took advantage of the enemy's off guard movements with another attack.

"White ripple!" the wave of ice covered Desutennei again, and she began once more to tear from it.

"Tobiume!" Hinamori called once more, spiraling another ball of energy into the enemy.

Though she recovered, it was clear that the last couple of strikes had actually hit the enemy. She huffed twice and stood up with all her countenance. Shaking the stiffness from her body, the curls, and tresses of her locks bobbed and her dress shook like the boughs of a pine, lack making soft sounds against itself. Her knuckles cracked, rebelling against her with each pop, as Desutennei flexed her hands, her blade jumped from one hand to the left, as she did the same trick once more.

Orihime, watching from the sidelines, was glad no one was out at this time, especially on this street. Though they would not be able to see the fighting, they could definitely get in the way. Desutennei was steadily growing more and more tired of the little games her opponents were playing with her. Finally she was reaching her breaking point.

"Underestimated us, didn't you?!" Rukia came with a retort as sour as her disposition at the moment.

"No, simply, I'm getting tired of dealing with you two, so I'm now finally trying to take you out with each hit," Desutennei shrugged, dress billowing with the motion. "You two are certainly a nuisance…all I want to do is have a little "conversation" with Inoue….and you two just keep getting in the way," Desutennei's hand rose and pointed itself at Hinamori.

"Don't screw with us!" Hinamori growled, jumping forward, singled out by that motion.

"Hinamori don't, she's just going to use a bala on you!" Rukia protested at the irrationally fueled Momo.

"Bala? Not at all, that seems utterly ineffectual at doing any lasting damage…." Desutennei's hand crackled for just a moment, but the crackle became a high-pitched resonation, then a whine, as air collected and rushed around her arm. "…however, a cero would probably put a nice hole in you!"

Hinamori's eyes went wide, the energy massed in front of Desutennei's hand, but time did not slow down, she could see it coming, and she moved appropriately, towards Rukia, hoping Desutennei would lose her ability to hit while choosing a target, but the real target had already been selected. Her entire form reeled, turning on a dime, and focusing the ray at none other than Orihime.

"Of course, that's if it was meant for you!" Desutennei cackled irreverently. "Cero!" and the blinding red orb of almost fluid energy fired with that resounding warp hum.

Orihime watched that intense reiatsu careen on a collision course with her, tearing up the cement and pavement with it as it blasted on its path. The crimson consumed her vision; she was too shocked to even call upon her rejection barrier. She closed her eyes, hoping that it wouldn't hurt too bad to be vaporized into nothing with that one single attack. But she held them closed and felt nothing, even though there was a rush of air and the sound of the Cero hitting something. Had Desutennei missed? Orihime opened her eyes.

"No one…." Rukia gasped, her body covered in scrapes, and damage, her hakama top shredded, barely hiding the white underneath.

"…will hurt Orihime" Hinamori finished, looking through one eye, now that the other was bruised a bluish, almost closed, and in dire pain.

The two of the, both little shinigami, had their blades crossed, steam, or smoke, surrounded by an impact crater, and dust, guarded Orihime from the attack that would have caused massive damage had it struck her at all. The two of them had used all the reiatsu they could quickly muster to form a shield and flash step to Orihime to put up a defense for their caretaker. The rage in their weakened bodies had not subsided, though their bodies looked ravaged, and their little chests heaved in and out, huffing, puffing, and wheezing, their resolve was not the least bit staggered.

"Wow, I was sure you two would go to protect her, but survive the cero, I guess there was a little bit of underestimation on my part, but no matter, not this time…."

Desutennei was already forming another cero, having started it before she'd even fired the first. The three ahead of her stared wide-eyed, looking like deer in the headlights of the largest freighter you could imagine, bearing down with phenomenal power and thrust. Desutennei exploded into peels of rapturous laughter, her body filled with elation and happiness at the fact she was going to obliterate all that stood between her and her prey. He hand sharpened it's aim and she readied to fire.

"Good bye, baby shinigami! You were quite entertaining!" she fired without hesitation.

"_Dammit, it's no good, I can't move, I'm too scared to even use the shun shun rika."_ Orihime thought, cursing herself, tears building in her eyes again, these ones made of shame, and hurt.

Rukia however was already concentrating her hand towards the direction of the blast; Hinamori too had her blade at the ready.

"We can't stop it, but we can divert it, or lessen its power!" Rukia instructed.

"Right!" Hinamori answered.

"Double Blue Fire Crash Down!" Rukia shouted, displaying her powerful ability without incantation hoping it would not be too weak.

"Snap, Tobiume!" Hinamori cried with passion, sending forth her own volley.

Both attacks smashed against the cero in perfect harmony, there was a blast of steam and smoke as the explosion tore through the area, and the dust clouded and clogged the area. Just to be safe, Desutennei took a step back and with a swirling kick, cleared the dust from the area. She looked happy for just a moment before regaining a look of indignant disgust. Just a bit more battered and bruised, and heavily shaking, the two had shielded Orihime from the blast once again.

"Persistent little pests, you two are, huh?" Desutennei mused.

"Didn't we tell you?" Rukia asked, darkly.

"You're not touching Orihime, at all," Hinamori finished, just as cold and steely.

Desutennei looked seriously unhappy now, she took her sword back into her primary hand and waved it about a little bit in a flourish, as if to test how well she could wield it. When satisfied with some parameter of her cutting ability she pointed it right at Rukia's heart. That was all she needed to do to get Rukia goaded into speaking again.

"Beat us down, time after time, kick us to the ground, over and over, but we will still get up, and still protect our friends!"

"If I can't beat you away, or blast you to pieces, I guess there really is just one solution to get you out of my way. Enough games, enough talk, I'll take the high road and CUT THROUGH YOU!" Desutennei wasted now time shooting through the air, her sonido impressive, so much so that Rukia, a veteran user of flash step, could barely follow it. She raised her sword, but knew it would do no good against the speed with which the stab was moving.

There was that slow moment where everything flashed before Rukia's eyes. The last thing she saw was napping with Hinamori and Orihime, and how placid that felt, there was the sound of the blade striking true, but Rukia was not killed….nor wounded. Though it had sustained a serious crack, and the blade poked through, an orange veil of protection shielded Rukia and Hinamori.

"I reject," Orihime said defiantly. Her cheeks were blood red, tears coursed like a river down her cheeks as she stood in front of her two charges, shielding them along with her own construct. "Enough, you two….really. Protecting me is so sweet…..but I can't just stand here and watch you two get…killed. Let me help….I've gotten really good at….helping," Orihime said, hiccupping with happiness and even more tears, before turning back to Desutennei. "You call me momma, so now momma is going to have to punish you, young lady!" Orihime growled angrily, her voice sweeping into that cold, evanescent, silky drone. "Prepare yourself!"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Mother of All Battles

**Chapter 16: Mother of All Battles**

Silence pervaded. No one spoke. The raven-haired shinigami at Orihime's side pushed back the errant strand that crowded her face, so as to witness this standoff with proper respect. Hinamori nervously shooed dust from her robes, as if appearances meant anything now. But no one could blame her; they were watching their "mommy" take on this fearsome foe. And neither could reckon how Orihime, with her mostly defense and restoration oriented powers, would be able to fight back, or even harm Desutennei enough to stop her furmious assault on the piece and civility of Karakura, and the day that had been lovely, albeit cloudy, before hand.

For what seemed like an eternity, an intermittent infinity, and then forever, there was not a movement from either Desutennei or Orihime. The wind blew, throwing hair to the side, in similar fashion on both sides of the street. Western theme music would have been most appropriate, but they were left with silence, and that was amply good for the tension of the moment, so thick that even the sharpest zanpakuto would splinter and shatter on its breadth. There was another breath of wind, and a piece of paper flew from the sidewalk into the street, dancing in the wind as though the world was so beautiful in and off itself. There was a moment where eyes stared intently through the crackled veil of orange, and then it shattered, dropping to the ground.

The hollow struck through, wishing to pierce the heart, but another shield blocked her, this one pushing back on her sword and holding it fast. Orihime didn't know what she was doing. She only had ONE attack, and certainly was not capable of juggling the defense of the flying rain of blades, as well as firing Tsubaki with alacrity enough to penetrate Desutennei's own defenses. But she shook the feelings of doubt; her resolution was too firm for her to give up simply because the deck was stacked! That would be what a coward would do, and mothers are not cowards! Or so she told herself.

Desutennei launched her volleys with surprising speed and deftness, with a power she'd kept hidden before, tearing a shield to ribbons, but being countered with another. Orihime's shield regeneration was nigh instant, taking less than the blink of an eye to reform, and block a blow coming for her temple or her ribs. Pushing forward, every so often she could push back the Arrancar breathing down on her like a lion at the kill. Orihime slammed to her shield, with a wild push, sending Desutennei back with force like that of an impact with a semi. Now was her chance.

"Tsubaki, come out! Koten Zanshun….I reject!" Tsubaki spiraled from her hairclips, bulleting, a laser of orange energy so fast, and so bright that it caused even the overcast day to glow like the sun was filling it with divine radiance.

"Hmm, this clown again? I hate it when I don't finish the job!" The irate fae cried with rage, spinning, formless now, a spear of amber colliding with the enemy just as Desutennei regained her footing.

The blast struck, and that's what it was, an explosion of great magnitude from the moment Tsubaki impacted the chest of its target. The radiance blinded, even Orihime had to shield her eyes, holding them from the scorching light. It died quickly, and view was restored. Upon Desutennei's sword, Tsubaki forced himself, still ephemeral, shining bullet of power, driving into the blade, unable to cut it, though the side was cracked down the middle. Desutennei was anything but pleased with this new development, as she finally used all she could to blast back the headstrong faerie, who zipped back to Orihime, lest he be struck down with great ease.

"No good, you crazy bint, she's got skin like steel and a sword stronger than that! I can't cut her worth a damn!" Tsubaki had to state the obvious going as far as to try to kick at Orihime who moved her head, rather than being accosted by the manifestation of her own power.

"All right then, we'll have to try again…"

"Whoa, whoa, try AGAIN?! Who do you think you're talking to?" Tsubaki protested as Desutennei beheld this spectacle with some interest.

"Before she kills us, Tsubaki Koten Zanshun….I reject!" Orihime ordered, and Tsubaki shrugged his shoulders and turned back.

"All right then, but don't tell me I didn't warn ya!!" and Tsubaki was off, blazing angel of tiny wings, barreling towards Desutennei with reckless abandon and extreme prejudice.

Having already bore witness to Tsubaki's attack style and power, Desutennei was more than ready to combat him. She but raised her hand and embers of ruby began to dance around her. Sparkling, then shifting and undulating, a ball of energy formed with incredible speed. Tsubaki crashed down as hard as he could, but there was not enough time to close that distance. The cero came into full being. Desutennei licked her lips and threw her sword hand back to aim.

"Cero!" there was brief moment where reality bent, warped with the path of that raging tubular energy, and then Tsubaki's voice could be heard over the din. "Hopefully this one will be strong enough to kill all of you, and that crazy fairy of yours!"

The whistling vibration of the cero careened into Tsubaki, and the two struggled for but a moment. Time was at a stand still, Rukia's eyes transfixed in horror on the beam, knowing its power from the last time she'd seen a cero being used on someone else. Hinamori, as before, was shaken considerably, but she firmed herself and kept her sword raised, just in case. There was a brief interceding sound of roaring, like that of a crashing building at the apex of pitch and decibel level, and when it stopped, Tsubaki remarkably pushed through the cero, cutting it in two and heading towards Desutennei. Orihime could only grin.

"_Seems my resolve to protect is stronger than hers to kill…" _Orihime thought, feeling the champion of her will.

Continuing his destined course, Tsubaki hit the only thing he could manage, having now realized the damage he incurred by cutting the cero clean in half, diverting it from those Orihime willed to protect. The faerie boldly hit Desutennei's outstretched arm, bullseyeing her palm with drastic force. So much that Desutennei visibly shot back with the hit, taking a large blast of sonido in the opposing direction to even stay on her feet. The damage done, Tsubaki made his escape, flying a buzzed, crooked path back to Orihime. He was in bad condition, but looked utterly satiated.

Hinamori gleefully raised her hands in happiness, knowing now that there had been some damage done on their part, finally. Elated she jumped into the air, and even Rukia seemed as though the veil of futility was beginning to lift. A wound could become more, now that the opponent was shown as mortal.

"Hitting that thing and doing damage is equivalent to killing any other opponent, you're on your own now kid, but you did good," and with that, Tsubaki collapsed back into the hairclip, to much needed and deserved rest.

Orihime nodded and internally told Tsubaki he had done well, knowing any outward affection would have just roused the injured little man, whose queer moods and personality would have only made things worse. But there were bigger things at hand, much bigger things, and much bigger hands than Tsubaki's.

The cloud of dust from her terrible skid had faded, and Desutennei clutched a bleeding paw, looking wildly through that glowing amber eye. Her rage palpable through creases, not lines, but nigh on folds that made her visage seem to be locked in a fury that caused plumes of reiatsu to swell her. The bloodied and marred hand was let drop, she reclined it against her middle, coursing the pure white with streams of crimson. Ignoring it to the best to her ability, Desutennei ripped on her sword, pulling it out of the sheath. The shaking of the blade produced copious crackles of metal on metal, the very wrappings were so tightly held that they were fraying visibly.

The voice that came next could barely be labeled as such; it was deep, so guttural it was more of hissing roar than a vocalized, channeled speech. Still it slashed and tore at the ear, nails-on-the-chalkboard-grade painful to the ears that beheld it. Desutennei was peeved, to say the infinitesimally least.

"Again….again you wounded me….first my eye, and now my hand…you've deformed my body too greatly. I can't play with you a second longer, I'll slash you to bits, Inoue Orihime, and then I'll dice your lovely little babies!"

There was not even another moment before Desutennei had bolted from her position and headed on a collision course with Orihime, who readied her shield. She steeled her resolve to its apex, literally brimming with confidence and power. The distension of Desutennei's image denoted the swiftness with which her destruction path led her, causing the pavement to ripple and crack under her feet, a ripping sound so unusual and foreign that it took the smell of asphalt to really know what was happening under foot.

Shield and sword met with tremendous force, the kickback of which took Orihime by surprise. Orihime held as long as she could, but there was so much power in this strike, it kicked up the street with just the impact. The sword did much more than just hit, strike, or pierce, it cracked, crumbled totally demolished the shield, to which Orihime could only watch the blade descend. There was a moment, and then coldness dug deep into her arm. Orihime's eyes shut, and opened with fluttering consciousness. Blood coursed from her arm, staining the clothing, and warming her hand. Had the shield not endured even a second more than it had, Orihime would have found the sword buried in her bosom.

The trickles, and lines of blood were so warm, the coldness of her arm was ghastly, that only that blood could be felt on it. The sword retracted, a swath of blood clinging to the blade and flying off as it was readied again. Desutennei actually seemed less than pleased, though her blade had done just what she'd wanted, and now a helpless Orihime stood before her, quite unable to do anything but ponder her pain in an awestruck fashion. The sword moved, descending like the pendulum that did away with the prisoner. Orihime did not close her eyes, she'd not go softly into that sweet night, if she would die, and she would stare death, and its bringer, with all her intensity.

"Good bye….Orihime…" Desutennei cackled, the sword reaching that point between her breasts. Then it happened, the sword sank in, Desutennei felt that luscious crack of sword against sternum, and then the slick of heart and blood, taking it all in one pierce. Widening her eyes, Orihime looked death in its depth, and the color faded. Her eyes closed, and the sword was withdrawn, the sanguine propagating a deep, rich pool.

Rukia and Hinamori, who'd been stunned, struck now with horror, witnessed the death of the one who'd been such a loving friend. This moment filled every vein with a fear and sadness that corrupted the soul with it's tears. Shinigami, lords of death, those who ferried souls as their very occupation, those closest to death, both the death of those around them, and their own mortality, even in afterlife could even be moved to such emotion by a singular ending of life.

Drawing up her sword, Hinamori seemed most affected by this. Portals of her soul, Hinamori's eyes flared, widening to a sickening extent, so open that even a sliver of luminosity would be like a floodlight. The pupils resembled one who was dead, and inside Hinamori's very life was decaying by the moment. This person, this person she'd just really met, this person she'd just really begun to know, this person who'd broken the sadness and sorrow clouding her existence, the one who'd shown her love, and caring, and emotion she'd not felt in what seemed like her lifetime, afterlifetime and more….this person had been slain. Only one "death" before that had brought Hinamori to such rage, to such a perverted extent of being, and now it was all too real again, but this time the culprit was in sight, the culprit was real, and they would pay.

"Inoue…..Inoue!!" Hinamori called out the name of her fallen comrade, as if to stir her from that endless repose. But it, of course, did nothing.

"Stop shouting like that, it's annoying…" Desutennei mused, throwing back hair that had become tangled, messy, and flush to her face in the moment of triumph in which she'd spilt the most innocent blood she could possible tarnish, by throwing it to the ground.

"No, no, I'm going to silence you, I'll do more than just put silence to your lips, I'll bring an end to this…." She degraded into tears now, furious droplets of all her bundled emotion, now unbridled, curdling around her being into a plum hued essence, so eldritch and deep that it was as if the smell of plum blossoms were pervading the very air around them, each gasp of the sky drenched in it. The crack of lightning that came first was just the precursor, the sky's darkness could not tell what darkness was bred within Hinamori in that moment.

"Tobiume, Tobiume give me all your power, put into this all of our hatred, and malice, and loneliness, show this foul beast what happens when you take from us the one last thing we have! SNAP, TOBIUME! PLUM BLOSSOM BOMB!"

There was a moment of tremors, and tremulous quaking, the earth and the heavens ripped and tore asunder. From all directions that ebbing and swirling pink and purple energy crashed from the whispers, the arms of light that flew off of Hinamori's person. The sword raised, it's straight, conductive tip pierced with lightning, cut in half by the blades of pink light and formed instantly. The sphere started just like a cero in method. Crackles, but in this case, spears of electric pink coursed, dancing in a circle around the tip of the blade, flows of electric power from each jitte prong added to it.

Smarter than to let this happen, Desutennei raised her sword and turned it on Hinamori. Something so slow and pedantic would not take her out; no matter how foul the aura was to her, no matter the strength she knew was behind this attack. There was no way it was faster than she was, she'd simply strike down the wielder before the blossoming burst could even be born. Leaving Orihime's body, she bound, with the hope that in one strike it would end this impedance once and for all.

"Fool! There is no counterattack, no way to raise your fortitude to withstand it, or speed in which to summon reflexes to dodge!" Hinamori's voice was soft, but carried over the wind with the snapping and crack of her thrilling power.

"Like hell!" there was this response from Desutennei, and then her motion to strike, but in vain.

The flash so rapid, when the orb of energy expanded, much more potent than any cero Rukia had ever seen, it disarmed Desutennei with just the force alone and nothing else to aid it. But that was not all, the sphere moved, not like a ray, but as it's self, the path it took leaving nothing behind it, tearing up the dirt and gravel even under the tarred pavement. The wake rippled the street, fissuring everything it crossed, the dreadful shuddering threw Rukia to the ground, but even moreso it continued to pressed against Desutennei, slamming with power infinite, and finally, beginning to unravel. All eyes focused on that, the main event had ended, and now the climax in Hinamori's Passion Play, dedicated to Orihime, came in proper form. The bundle of volatile power burst.

There was a moment where movement was obscured so highly that a battle inside this spiral of power and pulverized pavement and parkway would have been obscured in both sight and sound. However, a pink bath of light closed around Hinamori, who'd brought victory to her side, despite the cost. When, finally, the static dropped, and the din ended, the dust fell, no longer held by the charge in the air. The world was brought to the ground, Hinamori fell to her knees, power so drained she immediately passed into lucid unconsciousness.

That which would have been destroyed, the one person who had suffered the ferocious brunt of that final attack, laid in a heap, not far from the one she'd so viciously and callously come to slay. But the peculiar admonishment of dust was shifted all too soon. Cast off, and with a shaking, a unequaled pain, Desutennei once more rose from the ground. Against all odds, against the very foundations of physics, of power, she rose and stood, her body mangled, blood pouring from forehead, legs, and arms. The wounded hand now entirely limp, so damaged it even hung in a painful manner, turned the wrong direction.

"No way….no way, it's not right?" Rukia breathed, now losing even that in fear, that impossible had become true, she'd survived, and well enough to grip her sword in one motion.

The arrancar lady, now less than elegant, in her tattered dress, frizzled hair, and with that beyond destroyed arm, stood balancing on her blade, and then reaching full stance. Walking was a challenge, but managed, and arrival at Hinamori was imminent.

"Well then….two of you will meet your end, at last," she stood now at Hinamori's side, raising that blade, stopping for a moment, as plum electricity enraptured her, an aftereffect but potent, if anything.

In this moment, seemingly far away, the noises of the battle carried through time and space, beyond the borders of death itself…

Hours swirled, it was an eternity, all the time in the world could have past, and there was the warmth and soak of blood, the smell of plasma, the taste of copper and iron in the mouth, as though one had suckled on a pacifier of bronze. But there was something absent from this feeling, coldness, the embrace, the hug of death. Eyes opened to pink carnage whirling about around them, the sky called to black, and everything bathed in a fierce pressure of the soul.

Orihime could not lift her hand, even as the coldness began to return. She could see for a moment, and her eyes fixated on Desutennei, in a familiar position, her blade cradled above Hinamori, but restrained for the moment.

"_Looks like….I can't die…no, a mother is not….allowed to die when her children truly need her…._" Orihime coughed, if but softly, and beyond all reason, her hand was allowed to move to her head, touching the smooth, slightly warm petals of her hairclips. "Soten…" there was a mess of hacks and sputters, easily caught and dispersed by the wind "…Kisshun…I…" another round of coughing, blood reaching her lips and splashing over, but she would not be silenced yet… "reject…" and with that final utterance the field of yellow grew wide, and time began to be forced out of existence around Orihime.

With a final wrest of power, Desutennei tore from the electricity and readied to dive her blade, as planned.

"I can't just let you win….not after all this!" Rukia raised her Shirayuki, and feebly made her way to her feet.

But it took less than a palm to stop her, though the time it took made Desutennei writhe a bit more. She had the sword back up in no time flat.

"You will not forestall my revenge, child," Desutennei bellowed, righting herself without a thought and moving that blade up a third time, now to strike true, no matter what. "You're very persistent, little shinigami, but nothing can save you now…"

"You're wrong!" all that was needed was the inflection of that voice, that which turned the clouds to diamond dust, the essence of womanly fervor, a mother's love and despondence in a livid echo.

Desutennei froze. Her head shook back and forth, as if to shake that voice from her head to banish it once and for all, as she had thought she'd banished the one who owned it. But the voice was there, and she craned her neck backwards; her eyes became globes of undying terror. Orihime was standing, not a drop of blood anywhere, not on her, on the pavement, staining her clothes, nothing, not even the arm wound. It was all gone, all of it, impossible vanished from the plane of existence, fleetingly removed.

"Impossible…no, no, just impossible. You, I stabbed you, I delighted in feeling the steel push through sinew, flesh, bone and heart. You were dead; you were broken…"

"I'm not broken as long as those who care about me carry a piece of me in their hearts," was her only response.

Desutennei raised her blade, sliding her hand across, pricking her finger on the dents and slashes in the blade. The blood dripping upon it called out to her. Desutennei closed her eyes and turned fully to face her opponent once more. Culminating all of the resolve she had within her, the ability to calm herself in the face of this adversity.

"I can't believe you're still alive. You really went and resurrected yourself, didn't you? Well, you must know…we arrancar can resurrect too…and ours is called _resurrección_. You know, you should see it for yourself…."

A wind picked up, swept up, it charged around Desutennei, the bright blue of power cradled her, the fabric of time shifting and ebbing with each pulse of power through her body. There was more than a moment of doubt, as it could only charge so much. It seemed to die but momentarily, the wind beginning to slow, and finally it exploded, forcing through the broken form of which it was attached. When considerably composed, watching Orihime pensively, knowing she could not attack anymore, Desutennei grinned with malicious, Cheshire elation.

"Ah, finally….now, watch…..Contaminate! _Terrero Mofeta_!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: I'll Save You

**Chapter 17: I'll Save You!**

Air so hot it burned into steam, the heat so blazing, tremendous, around Desutennei, blocked out all sight. The form obscured behind the veil changed horridly, protruding shadows grew from the body, and the form compacted once, then twice into something abnormally slim and lithe.

The transformation did not end there, but with the piercing scream of primeval rage, the transmogrification grew more intense. Rukia and Orihime stood there in tense appreciation of this event. But both were forced to avert their eyes when portals of red veered up at them, intensely and radiantly blurring everything.

All the while the very steam changed hue, running the gamut from its white to a putrid green. Even standing back a good distance was enough to know it was toxic, beyond any measure of doubt, the fume and vapor was just as the one used by the hollow before it had removed its mask.

Figure, still inside its fog of death, flexed knuckles, audibly crackling. The movement was indicative of everything Orihime had seen in previous battles. Her movement was in time with Desutennei's very next.

The shield extended, just as the cloud of fumes was dispersed, granting respite to the three standing inside. Orihime did not drop her guard, for with the smoke came the realization of their opponent's new form. A twisted shell of "human," stood with eager claws. Desutennei's hair had grown out, wild, and magnificent. Sparkling tresses of violet spread from every point they could rush, tumbling over her shoulders on both sides, traveling down the smooth curves of her back, into a giant tail. The bushy, overly fluffed tail had been stained mountain's majesty; its center turned a white, creating what could only look like the tail of a skunk.

That which had once been the covering of her missing eye was now extended into an ear, traveling up like a crown into the second ear. This bony material had streaks of black crossing in concentric channels about the aural receptors.

All over Desutennei's even more slender and defined form was blackened hollow bone, turned ebony by the toxicity of the very reiatsu she expelled. It corseted her middle tightly, and protected the arms all the way to the solid, vicious midnight colored claws, spewing sooty goop and frothing smoke with the passing seconds.

Both eyes unblinkingly buried into the hearts of her prey. Their fiery depth immersed the body in a piercing cold fire, breathing out life with their very respiration. Fear was the word, and anyone who caught Desutennei's view was covered in it, drenched, awash, swept away with the dread.

"Hmmm, even better than I could have hoped. Now I've gotten back all of my previous hollow abilities…and I keep all the sapience of my current form….all the better to put the babies to bed, and take care of mommy, once and for all…" Desutennei cackled, throwing her head back, uncaring of any openings she could leave on her own person. It was over, in her mind it was over. She had won without even lifting her hand.

"I will never let you harm either of them; you've already done quite enough." Orihime returned, her frigid tone hissed angrily against Desutennei's hot tongue.

"Then attack me, momma, because I'm certain that I can kill you again, and this time I'll cut you into a billion poisoned pieces!" Desutennei didn't bother to wait, with instantaneous crashing force she broke through the shield, held by another, which she promptly broke, making her way through each layer to the one creating them.

Putting up shield after shield, wordlessly now, Orihime moved backwards, keeping the gap between her and her opponent viable enough to continue to apparate the shields and not create one when the opponent had already broken through. The velocity with which Desutennei now moved was thanks in part to the clawed fleet feet that were manifested alongside everything else. Each movement was precision, and the shields rarely gave more than a second of interference before they were shattered.

But Orihime was not going to give up just yet; she could win, if she persevered and only if. In each strike there were fell shards of poison that needed to be avoided, or it would all be for naught. Orihime backed away as far as could be mustered, her breath coming laboriously, the bloody scratch in the throat was apparent. The athletic limit of a normal human being was far below that of a transformed arrancar. Orihime would not be able to last much longer. She had to make an decision, come to some kind of idea, or be killed.

None came, but Orihime stayed ahead of her opponent, moving back with soft leaps with each stab at her person. She tried her best, the ability to keep moving was being strained, she was not the best athlete, but even with her ability there was too much, too much to watch out for, too much to do. Orihime inevitably tripped, falling to her back, scrambling to her knees to get up. But the claw came down.

Spreading her knees at the right moment, Orihime avoided one pair of claws. She fell to her back and skirted a slash from the other hand. But she was now prone, unable to make another move with the alacrity needed to impede Desutennei's aim.

"Gotcha!" Desutennei bellowed, throwing a hand down, extended, five piercing needles diving down.

"Not in your dreams, fiend!" Rukia answered, blocking with the ashen blade of Shirayuki, pushing back the hand, and sending her blade down in a flourish of ice.

Desutennei turned a paw up, melting the ice, diverting the freeze with just her spiked fingers. The seething of steam made it clear that ice would not be very effective against the boiling poison that coursed Desutennei's razor nails. Rukia leveled her blade in defense, and helped Orihime to her feet.

"Let's attack her together. Keep me safe with a shield concentrated on me,"

"All right," Orihime responded.

Rukia's movement was hesitant, but not because she doubted Orihime's ability. Rukia was sure in Orihime's ability, but it was more about her own that she was untrusting. Her feet shakily took steps. She raised her hands and directed her Shirayuki at the enemy.

"Fine then I'll defeat you first," Desutennei raised the claws and aimed a jet of poison towards Rukia, firing wildly.

Hands at the ready, Orihime formed a shield protecting Rukia. The poison curved off to either side, missing them entirely, for the moment. Desutennei batted not an eye; she cared not which opponent she got the chance to tear through first; all she wanted was the chance at all. Vengeance seethed from every pore. Poison, in all its splendor, coursed throughout her being. Enraged, the sparkle in the eyes so brilliant, it caused her attacks to continually grow in power, pretension, and fury.

Rukia's blade came down, the shield moved for but a moment. Rukia's attack was flawlessly guarded against and the shield was reaffirmed before any further incursion could be made. Desutennei smashed through, only to be repelled with a blast of chilling ice to the face. She tumbled and flipped, twirling mid air, a ballerina of evil, and touched back to the pavement, bounding off a second later towards the new shield.

Orihime knew her shield should be able to repel anything, to stand by unbroken to any attack. But something was holding her back; something would not let her bring the shield to full power. Deep inside Orihime was fighting with herself over something. She fought to understand what it was, in thought she barely noticed the new shield being smashed, and Rukia jumping to the side, to evade.

"Orihime? Hey, put up a new shield!" Rukia cried, doing her best to fend off the attacks of her opponent, taking advantage of Inoue's unresponsiveness.

Attention flooded her, and Orihime put up a new shield, Rukia moving backwards almost directly to her. Inoue inched herself closer to Hinamori's side, just in case. She wanted to make sure she was covering all bases. As she held up her shield she cast off the other petals of hairpiece.

"Soten Kisshun, I reject….heal Hinamori…" Orihime instructed, noting to her fairies the position of the exasperated little shinigami.

"Right on it, ma'am!" Ayame the fairy said, speeding off with her counterpart to heal Hinamori.

The fairies did their work, and Orihime worked on hers. She kept the shield up, determined to make it even more powerful, if to survive two hits would be a monolithic improvement.

Tiring of all this shield play, Desutennei showed it in her strikes. They contained such a potent amount of energy that it easily crushed through the barrier. But Rukia was always quick enough to skirt the blow before she could be dolled a significant blow, covered in poison. Finally, she ignored attacking for a moment, her body shook, tossing off dust and restlessness. Her visage pensively summed up the situation; it peered left to right, then she let loose a laughter that shook the firmament, sending waves of reiatsu through the air.

"What does she think is so funny?" Rukia scowled, drawing up her sword.

The laughter stopped abruptly, the crimson portals, consumed in hollow fire met with her gaze. There was a moment of trepidation, but Rukia snapped from it.

"I'll tell you what is so funny….I've been going about this all wrong…"

"Explain yourself!" Rukia demanded.

"I don't have to go through your shield to attack. I'll just surround you entirely!"

Back arched, and body flared, rising into the air, Desutennei wasted no time making good on her threats. Her claws stopped their venting of venom, ceasing that endless stream of gook and steam. But it was not just that. From her gaping maw the darkness effervescent frothed and bubbled now. Like before, just like before. A gurgling laughter pervaded and the gas was belched out with thickness that obscured the user.

Tension ran through Orihime. She didn't know if the gas could be blocked with her shield, in fact she was sure it could not. There was little place they could run to escape. It was lucky enough that no one had passed by this street, almost too lucky. They could not bring the battle any other place, especially running the risk to endanger others. Rukia and Orihime stood firmly, the poison enrapturing the street, colliding with the shield and pushing off to either side.

"What should we do?" Rukia asked frantically.

Orihime had no answer; she did not know what to do, not at all. She had brought herself back for this, to simply die again? She'd come back past the veil of the other side and found only another ticket across the Styx? She widened the shield was much as it was possible, creating a wall from sidewalk to sidewalk. The poison crept near the edges, ever moving. It moved up, to the sides, any place it could find an opening.

"I don't need to see you three to get you with my poison," came a voice of pure delight bounding through the smoke, "as long as you all take a nice breath I'll have three pleasant bodies to tear in twain once I get over there!" Desutennei bragged, the miasma pushing at the shield.

"Are we just going to stand here and die?" Rukia shouted at Orihime, shaken by her wordless expression.

Orihime would not allow them to be hurt. She could not come back and achieve nothing. Turning to Rukia, Orihime, tears in her eyes, looked down at Hinamori. "Take Hinamori and go. I'll distract her long enough for you to get away, to get to some place where you can contact soul society. Don't worry about me,"

Rukia was just a little bit more than stunned. The words coming out of Orihime's mouth were frightening. Quivering lipped, Rukia began to tear, her eyes playing out her emotions.

"I won't let you…" Rukia said, in a voice above a whisper.

"You can't carry me AND Hinamori," Orihime explained, realistically. "If I can save anyone today, it's better off not being me,"

"And who says you can only save yourself….momma…" From their side, Hinamori had opened her eyes. She extended her head out towards her figurative mother, but it shot back upon touching the shield. That was when Shun'O chastised her.

"Sorry, Miss Momo, no one can leave or enter the Soten Kisshun once it's been activated. Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, until the ride has completely stopped." She giggled to herself, in light of the situation.

Orihime visibly giggled. She giggled heartily, despite the situation. That was when it dawned on her. Her eyes went wide and she looked down at the field around them.

"Could anything break the healing barrier, Shun'O?" Orihime asked quickly.

"Nope, Orihime, it's unbreakable, more so than any of your other abilities."

"And is hollowfication a "bad" thing?" Orihime then questioned.

"I dunno why you're asking me all these things in the heat of a battle, but I'd say…yeah, it is a bad thing…" Shun'O answered, concentrating on the barrier.

"Then it's worth a shot, but we're going to have to time it perfectly."

"What is worth a shot?" Rukia tensely questioned, looking form the smog to the shield to Orihime with dire anxiousness.

"We can defeat her; we can defeat her in one go!" Orihime said confidently, nodding to herself with passion. "All we need to do is skirt the toxin and get her in view, then from there we just need to distract her long enough for me to activate the Soten Kisshun, and I'll erase her from existence!"

Rukia's eyes widened. She thought about it for a moment, and realized the extent of the nature of Orihime's powers. Right there Rukia realized that Orihime did not merely heal, she _rejected_ events from reality. Rukia's hands shook, but her resolution was never stronger in that battle. Her head lowered and then rose, looking to Orihime.

"I will do anything I can to help." Rukia's voice shook, but she no longer quivered in her sandals.

"Can I help?" Hinamori whimpered, looking like a child who wanted to lick the cookie dough spoon rather than a warrior volunteering for an undertaking that would be suicide if Orihime's intuition failed her.

"I'm going to need the both of you in this," Inoue spied Hinamori first. "You're going to clear out the miasma the minute I drop the shield. A nice blast from Tobiume should make a nice clear cut…" she paused and turned to Rukia, "…Rukia, I need you to disperse the toxins totally with a large wave of ice. Then I'll have to get as close as I can to her, so I'll put up a shield and use Tsubaki as a diversion…" Orihime paused, knowing she couldn't tell Tsubaki that, since he'd end up kicking her in the head again.

"That simple?" Hinamori blinked, skeptically.

"That should be just about it, yep!" Inoue assured.

"All right then, what are we waiting for?!" Rukia exclaimed, readying her blade.

"Fine then, Shun'O, Ayame, take five, Hinamori's all right."

The fairies fleetingly returned to the hair clips and Orihime put her hands against the shield intently. "At the count of five…."

"One…" Hinamori said breathlessly, rising to her feet.

"Two…" Rukia shuddered, pulling Shirayuki into formation.

"Three…" Orihime steadily announced, holding the shield with both hands, palms flat.

"Four…" Hinamori mouthed, raising Tobiume, its tip beginning to glisten.

There was a long pause, the toxic fumes just began to creep over the side of the shield; it was now or never.

"FIVE!" the trio cried, the shield falling, the miasmic gas rushing in as Orihime stumbled backwards.

Hinamori dived in the gap she left, Tobiume sparkling with a fantastic glow. "Snap, Tobiume, do your stuff!" Tobiume burst into action, the plum passing right through the smoke, clearing a channel in the toxic vapor.

By this time, Desutennei was well aware that something was going on; she witnessed the ball of light shoot through her cloud. But she scoffed at it.

"Your aim is terrible, and your taste in attacks is the same old casserole." She chastised, not realizing what was going on just yet.

Rukia held to her sword's binding with one hand, steadying her nervous tick with the other, clasped over her wrist, it too beginning to shiver, the air around the blade chilling, sending a condensational moisture running throughout the pallid blade. "Sode no Shirayuki, white ripple!

From the blade the massive forge of white traveled through the smog and smoke, clearing it effectively, scattering the clouds which quickly evaporated. For once Desutennei could see her prey. But by this time, Orihime was already on the move, bulleting towards Desutennei with all of that running ability she's learned in PE. Her body was shaking, not just from her motion, but inside her heart pounded harder than it had ever beat before, any time before, no matter what. Everything was riding on her movements.

"Soten Zanshun, I reject!" Tsubaki came out, hovering with Orihime. "Attack, Tsubaki!"

"The same old tricks won't work all the time, you bint!" Tsubaki cried, forming his own shield and spiraling towards Desutennei. "Don't say I didn't warn you, later!" he growled, approaching the target.

"This is nothing!" Desutennei exclaimed, batting at Tsubaki, ignoring Orihime who continued to approach.

She reached the range where she was sure she could catch Desutennei.

"Soten Kisshun, I reject!" She focused on Desutennei; Ayame and Shun'O picked up on this and flew forward.

"More fairies? Are you serious? Do you want to send all your little helpers to die?" Desutennei scolded.

"Ayame and Shun'O don't attack, Desutennei." Orihime said with a profound grin.

The mouth opened to say something, but by the time she had formulated a "huh" to her lips, the orange light prison closed around Desutennei. She, bewildered, glared at Orihime. There was venom and ardor in that stare that made Orihime turn away.

"What are you doing to me, you bitch!" Desutennei screamed, pounding at the walls of the Soten Kisshun, only to be thrown to her backside with each attempt. Finally Shun'O got tired of the interruptions.

"Miss Hollow, as I told Hinamori Momo, you cannot leave the Soten Kisshun until Orihime wills it. So, in the same vein as Momo, please keep your hands and feet in the ride at all times until we come to a complete stop, thank you!" She continued to her work.

"You?! Tell me right now what you are doing to me!" Desutennei shrieked carnally, her body shaking with anger, and a good bit of fear, something even arrancar knew.

"I'm giving you an attitude adjustment, a time out, if you will, young lady," Orihime sighed, as Hinamori and Rukia joined her.

"Don't you dare patronize me, human!" Desutennei raged, rising to pound at the shield, blasted back, and then hitting the front as well with the rebound, sent to her backside once more, hitting the pavement pathetically.

Time's hands were already moving, and while Desutennei did not notice it, she was already losing pieces of her enhanced armor. She realized it soon after the _resurrección_ was negated all together. Her face resembled that of a statue, but one frozen in undying and livid horror. Only after the disbelief subsided did she once against chide Orihime.

"How are you doing this?! This is impossible, you're some kind of monster, you're terrible……" she was losing sapience by the second, it was already clear she was reverting back into that giant hollow, as her once caramel skin became a mucous green, then a darker, like the color of wet leaves. "You….you're a monster….I….I HATE YOU!" Desutennei managed before her intelligence left her entirely, and all was obscured in that indiscernible screaming and ranting.

Clothes tore, and skin stretched, the lumbering hulk of a menos pushed at the confines of the shield, as it grew with her. Orihime and Rukia helped Hinamori shoot back out of the range. The hollow's incessant shouting and screaming only exacerbated the situation. It was frighteningly profound, to realize it was Orihime doing this. She raised her hands in the direction of the shield, putting all her will in it.

"This is…terrifying….excuse me Orihime…but I can't watch…" Rukia muttered, turning her back.

The hollow continued its backward descent. It became smaller from that form, it shot back through its pieces; the personality that dominated the menos was shifted back to the low class hollow. Tears and gashes along its skunk-like face mask. The skin was jet black, the original form of the hollow, much weaker than even its menos form, which more resembled the previous _resurrección_ form. Its tail was even present. But as soon as all the divots and battle scars in the mask had ceased to be, even the hollow transformation itself was reversed.

The screaming, amazing began to sound more and more like speech. As if in reverse of the process, the form of the hollow once more became human. The piercing whines were horrible now, resembling something both animal and monster, but also human.

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooommmmm" the hollow bellowed, thrashing against the barriers.

"What is it saying, mo…Inoue…." Hinamori stammered, covering her ears with the hakama sleeves.

"I don't know….but it's so sad…" she remarked, looking quite unhappy that she was the one doing this. Even defeating a hollow hurt her deep down. She detested fighting.

But the hollow's backwards motion did not cease. And remarkably the speech became even more human until whining cries pierced the night. And before Orihime could realize it, chains were risen around a human form. The hole in the chest was replaced by the seal with chains, and they too reformed. After a while the chains snaked up and out from the ground as well, a short little length sitting out from the once-hollow's chest. Orihime almost burst into tears when the first coherent scream bit through the clouds.

"Mommy, where are you mommy?!" came the cry. The cry issued from Desutennei, or more accurately, a girl no older than six, standing in the field of light, bawling her eyes out.

Orihime could not possibly do this any longer. Simply she dropped the shield and ran towards the crying child.

"Orihime, what are you doing?!" Rukia shouted, as she'd turned just as the cry escaped the little girl.

"I can't hurt a little girl!" Orihime said sternly, dropping to her knees on the pavement and taking the tiny little girl in her arms.

The little plus didn't stop crying, or lift her hands from her eyes. She continued to bawl for her mother, and it did not cease. Orihime hurt deep inside. It was all apparent now. The constant chatter, the jokes about Orihime being her mother, the reason the hollow had stomped around a neighbor hood rather than looking for souls, Desutennei had been a little girl, a little plus, who'd been separated from her mother.

"Mommy, mommy where did you go?!" the little girl continued to bawl.

"Little girl, don't cry anymore. You're not alone…" Orihime spoke, in that icy voice, the one that purified the darkness, and even as it began to rain now, she was stern in her grasp.

Only then did the little soul notice the warmth of a living being holding it, only then did it even realize it was being held. She looked up, tears in her eyes, her pigtails uneven, hair falling from them in every which way. She hiccupped in disbelief.

"You can…see…me?" she asked, her voice frail and rife with sniffles and hiccups.

"Of course, no more crying, it's all right…" Orihime wept, holding on tight.

"Do you know where my mommy is?" The little girl asked; her tears not yet dried.

"No, but I know where she went," Rukia said softly, dropping to her knees as the little girl's side. "She's in a better place, and I know you can find her if you go there too."

"Momma left me? She and I were crossing the street and all of a sudden she was gone, and I was all alone!" the little girl whined, now looking at Rukia. She held onto Orihime as well, the comfort of another person soothing.

"I remember a female soul, a couple of months ago, a lady weeping about her baby, separated when they were crossing the street, I sent her to soul society, told her you were probably already there, I'm so foolish…." Rukia recounted, remembering the lady she'd helped cross over.

"Is my mommy really in that place?" the little girl asked. "Am I in trouble for not being there too?"

"You're not in trouble," Hinamori chimed in, kneeling with Orihime and Rukia. "You just have to want to go and see your mommy, and we can send you."

"Really?!" the little girl whimpered, her eyes beginning to brighten. "You can help me get to mommy?"

"Sure, you just have to want to see her, okay? Real hard," Orihime instructed, hugging.

"All right…will I see you again, Miss Orange-Hair? Or you, Miss Purple-Hair? Or you, Miss Black-hair?" she inquired, in that inquisitive little child tone, unable to let go of the idea of not seeing her saviors again.

"Maybe…" Rukia answered, turning Shirayuki back to its unreleased form and reversing her grip on it.

"All right, my name is Shouko Kotokawa, okay!" the little girl beamed greatly, showing a toothy smile with a single tooth missing from the bottom row.

"I'm Rukia…"

"Orihime, sweetie,"

"Momo Hinamori, hehe."

"Thank you for helping me, I was so scared and lost!" the little girl sniffled, closing her eyes, and lifting her sleeve to her nose adorably.

Rukia used this opening to gently touch the butt of her sword to Shouko's forehead. The little girl looked up, knowingly, saying not another word, just beaming politely. The nightmare was over, finally.

Orihime fell over onto herself holding nothing in her hands. She was weeping gently, there was a silly smile on her face, but she was whimpering.

"Did I do all right, as a mother? Did I fail?" she asked, the gravity of the situation falling back down on her with swift cruelty.

Without thought, Hinamori was holding her tight. She held so tight that Orihime was sure she would stop breathing, and that meant Hinamori not herself. She looked up and embraced her.

"You're the only other person I could ever call 'momma,'" Hinamori whined softly, grasping to the cloth of Orihime's clothing, pulling it in her arms to the point of discomfort.

Rukia joined in on the hug, throwing her arms around Orihime with a great big jovial grin. "You sure can spank like a mother, so I don't think you're a failure!"

"Should we go home?" Orihime whispered, her voice lightening with each passing moment, despite the pouring rain from the sky.

"Yeah, you're gonna get a cold in this downpour." Hinamori eased kindly, helping Orihime to her feet.

Just as they did, there were four movements in the distance, then touching town in plumes of water flying in all directions. Ichigo, Ikkaku, Rangiku, and Toushiro all appeared, swords drawn.

"You're too late," Rukia said, sheathing Shirayuki. "All the fun's over, we took care of the arrancar,"

"Ah, damn, I thought I was gonna get to have some fun!" Ikkaku jabbed, throwing his sword back across his shoulder.

"This isn't some sort of game," Toushiro remarked hotly.

"Aww, but you wanted to have some fun too, right caaaaptain?" Rangiku squealed, holding onto her Toushiro and wiggling her backside in the air obscenely.

"Whatever, it seems you three handled it," Ichigo summed up coolly. "We actually need to go back to Soul Society….see you guys later, Inoue." Ichigo bounded away without another word.

"File a report on that hollow, Momo," Toushiro reminded, before leaving as well.

"I gotta go tell Yumichika that this was all a false alarm, he's gonna laugh his stupid hair right off his head," and Ikkaku left without another word.

There was a long pause where Rangiku just stood there in the deluge from the heavens, watching them there.

"Don't you have to go, Miss Matsumoto?" asked Hinamori, wearily.

"Nope, I'm on leave now, gonna head back to the Inoue Residence?"

"We were hoping…." Orihime said shortly, realizing the state of two gigai in her home, all pampered, and one even wet. She wondered if the other two had remembered.

But Orihime was way too tired now. Every bit of her was worn out. She had never used Tsubaki, the shield, or the healing technique so many consecutive times. Beat and feeling it Orihime grinned deeply and looked at Rangiku.

"All right, let's go home, Miss Matsumoto," and she passed out.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's Note:**_

_This chapter, no this entire story, is dedicated to Destiny. If there ever was a person who could deserve to have this monolithic achievement, a whopping 54,300+ words, dedicated in their honor it is she. She was one of the first people to critique the story, and soon, when we fell in love, she was my greatest inspiration to continue writing it._

_If you like my works, if you love my works, or any part of them, thank her. She is my everything. She is my dark, diapered, bespectacled, emo, Lolita, plushie, perfect kitten. She is the reason and fire in my passion and desire. Nothing can compare to the "get up and go" she has added to everything I do. This is for you, love. Enjoy!_

_Wow, this has been a hell of a ride. I've NEVER experienced something like this before Karma and Repentance. All of the ups and downs, the false starts and stops, all of the losses and wins, all of your comments and praise, all of your hits, everything has kept me going. Thank you my fans, thank you my critics and my naysayer, thank you to everyone who helped in any way, even the most minute._

**Chapter 18: Afterglow**

From the foggy, hazy, effervescent malaise of the comatose, Orihime perceived little from the world around her. There was the sensation of being lifted from the pavement, the echoes of footsteps bounding upon rooftops. It must have been Matsumoto cradling her, comical as it would have been for shorter Rukia or Hinamori to attempt carrying Inoue from house to house on their way home. There was the din of nothingness; that ring, in the sleep-paralysis of exhaustion that covered Orihime. Finally, warm invaded her body, and she fell from semi-consciousness to earnest sleep, something inside telling her it was safe at last.

There was the briefest of intermissions, indicating it was more shock than fatigue, which had swamped Orihime in the wake of their harrowing battle. Still, as the eyes opened, closing immediately to shield from the glaring brilliance of the interior, Orihime did not yet know if she _wanted_ to wake up. Now that Matsumoto had returned, many things were sure to change. Of course, she could not harbor two shinigami for as she had been, any longer, and that meant parting with the "babies" with whom she'd spent so much time. The return of boredom, and loneliness…it was a grim prospect to say the very least.

However, if she stood in that "slumber" any longer, she was sure she would awake to any empty house anyway. If there were goodbyes to be said, it was best they be said post-haste so that the chance to do so would not pass her bye. That would be the epitome of despair. What mother wants to miss the chance to watch her children leave the nest? None that cares, at least as far as Orihime was concerned, and she cared, she definitely cared!

"Good morning, everyone…" Orihime mouthed with sleepy sighs between her words, the ocular faculties straining against the light with which they were assaulted.

"Well, good to see you're awake, sleepyhead," dripped in syrup, the voice of Matsumoto slipped into the ear and reassured everything, with a motherly tone that even Orihime could not hopingly manage.

From the blurry dim Inoue could make out Matsumoto, knelt at her feet, observing with careful glance. Her gigai was lavishly embellished, much to Rangiku's own style. A woven aquamarine blouse did it's best to cover the large family inheritance upon Matsumoto's bosom. Form-fitting capris adorned her hips and thighs, ending above the calf, showing off even the delicate structure of Matsumoto's feet. Everything about her was stereotypically motherly, more enhanced than Orihime. Her shape and appearance stressed and strained a variety of motherhood, even if she was consciously unaware.

The room was bathed in an eerie mid-evening light, the lights were not all illuminated, as Orihime always had them, so the half-luminance created a multitude of shadows and dreary atmosphere. The chill that shook Orihime's spine was, no doubt, caused by the shade. However, lifting that depression a tad were the forms that were reclining in various spots around the room. Hinamori and Rukia were still there, looking incredibly relieved as it were.

"Thank goodness!" came a shrill cry, as a body bounced through the air and clamped around Orihime's waist with the power of a vice. "I was so worried when you collapsed, Mom…..Miss Orihime!"

Hinamori wearily held as tight as she could. Her body twisted in such a manner that it heaped her clothes in every which way, throwing every bit forward, this included the skirt. Orihime was shocked, it seemed as though nothing had been extensively changed, including Hinamori. Around her backside, the puffy whiteness protruded, along with the sogginess that had claimed the padding before they had left earlier that day.

"How…how long have I been asleep?" ventured the shy question from Inoue, whose voice held a bit of apprehension Matsumoto was in full view of this spectacle, saying nothing.

"Hmmm, about an hour, I wouldn't say any more…" Matsumoto reckoned, a finger touching to the mole on her cheek, a sign of her pensive contemplation of the matter.

"I'm very much relieved that you're better!" Hinamori whimpered, tears already growing in her eyes, not holding anything back now.

"Come now, there is no need for that much emotion, I'm quite all right," Orihime folded Hinamori into her lap, soothing her as she did.

A hand tried to brush the skirt down, back around Hinamori's back, but Orihime just couldn't manage it, not there was any way to hide it now, not that Hinamori seemed to care. Rukia managed to wiggle to her knees and get closer; the much unhidden crinkle signified that even Rukia had been too preoccupied in the wake of their fight to "redignify" her gigai. Maybe there _were_ more important things than silly undergarments.

"It _is_ a reason to get emotional. You saved us, the both of us…all by yourself too…" Rukia began to lower her voice at the tail end; her pride making outwardly admitting that neither could have possible done what Orihime had impossible.

"No, it was nothing…really," Orihime maintained, trying not to discourage them, knowing their pride had taken a considerable beating as it is.

"You're wrong," Matsumoto was stern, and placid, the ocean reverberated in the stillness but power of that voice. "You did something that not many shinigami could even do. You defeated a numeros level Arrancar. You should be proud!"

Matsumoto's voice grew in elation at the last of her words, and her cheeks regained their rosy sheen. She threw herself forward and held onto Orihime alongside Hinamori, running her fingers along Inoue's sides in a furious tapping movement, tickling furiously as she did whenever someone was down, whether or not they approved of it. Her transition from stern to comical was indeed marvelously quick.

"Come on! Big smiles! You too, Rukia come here and join in!" Matsumoto reigned Rukia in with a big hug, as Rukia's face displayed denigration and displeasure of the highest order only to melt into conjoined happiness after a moment of trepidation.

"I'm so glad to have friends like you guys," Orihime wheezed, squeezing in every direction she could manage.

Orihime gave her every being in the embrace, hugging each one of them as best she could, being squashed, and nigh suffocated by Matsumoto's lusciously sized bosom. Rangiku took the wheezing and coughs from below her as sign to vacate the already densely occupied cubic foot of the room for spaces more vacant.

With a flick of the wrist, tossing back copious curls from her shoulder, Matsumoto inspected the scene before her. Something, even to her eye, was out of place in this…she could not place her finger on it. She scooted a tad closer and inspected each and every one of them.

"Umm…is something wrong, Miss Matsumoto?" Orihime tentatively questioned, feeling a bit uneasy, sensing the same thing that Rangiku herself sensed.

After just another moment or two of looking upon them she was became aware of what was not "normal." Rangiku's fingers wiggled a bit, straightening her pointer and pushing it starkly against upon a certain body whose hind was thrust into the air as she continued to embrace her surrogate mother. The poking lasted three or four quizzical seconds before Hinamori became aware of it.

"I've never seen these kind of living world panties before….what are they…they sure are thick, not very flattering, unless of course you're trying to augment something you don't have." She continued to pester with Hinamori's pride until her hand shot back and covered the padding with her skirt.

"Nothing, just panties, normal everyday ones, yep!" Hinamori shot back, curling closer to Orihime, hoping to escape Matsumoto's investigation, sitting upon Inoue's lap, and shielding her middle from provocation.

"Okaaaay…" Rangiku responded, looking back at Rukia with a feline smile.

To this, Rukia did but quiver a bit, unnerved as it was. Matsumoto, however, was not convinced and took to sitting closer to the three of them, but not upon them as it had been, not wanting to asphyxiate them in her quest to learn more. Her hands shot out rather abruptly, catching Hinamori in a ticklish death grip, pushing her fingers into ribs, and beneath the arms, forcing Hinamori to loose her hold on Orihime, falling to the floor and wiggling about like a helpless babe.

"Shtop, stop!" she mouthed and mewed adorably, writhing till her skirt had risen just the right height.

"All right," Matsumoto resigned, sitting back up, using that bewilderment to examine the "panties" on Hinamori with a bit more scrutiny.

There was first to note the tapes, that which was unseen from the back view. This perplexed Rangiku. _Why would you need to tape panties on?_ Then there was the fact that an entire bit of it was yellowed, as though stained, but it did not really seem stained as it seemed absorbed. Wracking her scatterbrain, Rangiku plodded through her memory of something she was sure was very much like this type of panties. Hinamori, huffing and puffing from all the excitement, remained unaware of Matsumoto's deep though. The other two disregarded it as well; for Matsumoto's "thinking face" more resembled someone off in a daydream than in thought.

"Aha!" was the cry; Matsumoto sprung from her knees and knelt over Hinamori with the lithe of a lioness. "Hinamori is pretending to be a baby!" she deduced, poking and prodding her now. "I've figured it out, all the slips at calling Orihime "mommy" and the fact that these are not panties at all!"

No one was impressed, they all regarded Matsumoto with queer enterprise.

"Way off…" Orihime said with a glimmering grin.

"Yep, miles," Rukia added with nonchalance and a bit of her own vocal cynicism.

"Uhh, then I got nothing, why is she wearing diapers?" Matsumoto questioned, poking and tickling Hinamori just for the fun of it now, Hinamori didn't protest this time, she was worried enough to allow this to proceed.

"The hollow was a poisonous, it did more than just poison the soul, the infection defected her gigai and caused it to…well among other things, void it's bladder at very unfortunate times, so under my care I asked her to wear the diapers so that caring for her would be a simpler process…" Orihime took a breath and glanced floor-ward at her little one, who nodded vehemently in accordance with this explanation.

"Oh, well that's totally different. Sorry for any undue embarrassment, Momo, wearing diapers in a situation like that is perfectly understandable. Though my explanation was a lot cuter, eh Rukia?" Rangiku nudged Rukia as she had a private titter to herself, imagining Orihime as a mommy, cradling Hinamori in a vision not so far from reality.

"Err, yeah, sure was," Rukia uneasily answered, closing the gap between her knees as best she could, the padding making it impossible despite the fact it was impossible to see her own diaper from under the skirt at that angle.

Remembering something obviously quite important, Rangiku needled on her knees to Orihime, and whispered gentle into her ear "Seems like Momo needs a change, though…" she nodded to herself afterwards.

"Well then, we will have to take care of that, won't we?" Orihime responded, not even needing to address Hinamori for her to blush intensely, knowing what that tone of voice meant.

Already standing, something inside of Orihime had clicked, she was once more the mother figuring, scurrying across the room getting everything prepared. She'd totally forgotten everything else. In her head, there was a job to be done and there was nothing else. She'd knelt before the diaper package and was already dissecting it, removing a fresh diaper from it, gathering her supplies. When all was ready, she pointed at the kitchen.

"All unneeded guests should grant Hinamori privacy now!" she announced, pointing, with an extra wiggle of the index, towards her kitchen.

Rangiku stood and meandered into the kitchen, Rukia sat firm.

"Rukia, is there something you need?" Orihime asked, not yet beginning the process of changing, to save Hinamori some dignity.

"What am…I…supposed to do about…you know…" Rukia whispered, her eyes falling to her lap, as low as she could, her gazing jumping from Orihime, to Rangiku's posterior, as she perambulated into the kitchen.

"Are you wet?" bluntly came Orihime.

"I…no…err…ummmm" Rukia paused, her hands collapsed into her lap, folding upon each other over and over; she turned a puce to rival Hinamori in the throes of being tickled, "…when we were waiting for you to wake up….I….yes,"

"Yes what?' Orihime asked, unfolding Hinamori's diaper in preparation.

Guests or not, it seemed that Inoue had not forgotten about Rukia's punishment at all. Rukia lost all semblance of calmness; she wiggled extensively. Her redness had not abated, if anything it had worsened.

"I'm…you know…wet…" Rukia mouthed the last word, forbidden to say it by the deepest measures of her pride.

One hand pushed tightly to the borrowed skirt, and the other rubbed the suppressing arm, as if bracing it against impact and tension.

"Well then, you'll have to lie down and get changed with Hinamori, I don't think there is a reason to send you out then," Orihime said quite hush, "you're still my baby for the time being," she added.

Not liking the idea of being changed with Rangiku right there in the other room, Rukia considered the alternative. And Orihime's words drove that to home quite nicely. It was apparent that Orihime was still the dominate force here, and a diaper change was a _lot_ quieter than a spanking, so to opt for the former would most likely save her from the latter. She laid down, without much more internal debate on that matter.

Orihime was lost with words; Hinamori was mute, so the changing began. Peeling the tapes from their home against the plastic of the thickness, Orihime worked each crackle, four of them and finally released the front from the sides, letting the soggy material fall forward.

The cool breeze caught Hinamori suddenly; she mewed with quiet surprise, elating Orihime who'd grown fond of those little reactions with each change. Her hands were quite precise now. Wipes and Hinamori's body were familiarized, so the cool, damp sensation was more soothing and reassuring than anything else could be at this point. She turned her head towards Rukia's for a moment, getting a look of approval from Rukia, who had scarlet doused upon her cheeks.

Removal of the thoroughly soaked diaper was done, and before her bare bottom could even touch the carpeting, the fresh one was already betwixt her knees, ready to be taped, but not just yet. A fine snowfall of powder covered her bare loins, smoothed in with gracious and gentle fingers, making sure to touch only where it was appropriate. Still the color upon Hinamori's visage darkened still to the maximum possible if not beyond even that threshold.

With the folding of the opaque, pallid padding, there were four more tape crackles, and the deed was done. To perfect this treatment, Hinamori received a motherly kiss to the forehead as Orihime clasped a hand around her torso and righted her into a sitting position, readjusting the skirt to cover the diaper with expertise she could have only gained through the week's tried and true practice. With the ordeal over with, Hinamori breathed a deep sigh of relief. Orihime had already departed, intent on getting the second change done as quickly a possible, knowing Rukia's pride was nowhere near as resilient as Hinamori's, who had acclimated to this treatment.

"All right, all done, now…" Orihime was cut off drastically…

"Done? Does that mean I can come back in?"

Matsumoto ignored the good sense to ask her question without leaving the confines of the kitchen, she traipsed right in just as Orihime had shoved all of the denim skirt up into a bunch around Rukia's legs, exposing the mussed and soppy bunting between Rukia's knees.

"No, no, go back in!" Rukia screamed with fervent might, all too late.

Her hands tried to force the skirt down more, but it was all in vain, Matsumoto had already formed that gossipy beam, and the thrilled blush crept across her dimpled cheeks.

"Oh my, I understand Hinamori, but why is _Rukia_ all pampered as well?" asked Rangiku, plopping her endowed rear upon the beanbag chair, despairing over the fact that popcorn was nowhere in sight, for this explanation seemed as though it would be much more poignant.

Relinquished from around Rukia's waist, Orihime lowered the skirt and sat Rukia upright. There was a moment where Rukia scrambled to her feet, Orihime followed.

Into her ear she could only whisper, "don't worry, you don't need a change," then there was facing Matsumoto.

There was a small pat to Rukia's backside. Her eyes turned into globes of shock, her face filled to the brim with blood. An indignant look of reprisal covered her, but she slowly waddled to the table and sat down. Orihime sat at the other side of the table, her eyes on Matsumoto.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Orihime inquired, her view shifting clockwise from Rukia, to Rangiku to Momo, and then back to Rukia.

"How did all of this come to be with Rukia, you have got to tell me how Miss Kuchiki managed to land herself into your care as well!" this was all said in the most trying babyish lisp one could imagine, if only because Rangiku had a thing for being nosy in an echelon all to herself.

"Do I tell it, or do you want to hear it from Rukia?" Inoue was careful to protect Rukia's dignity for the time being.

"You…should tell her Miss Orihime…" Rukia subserviently, and shyly, muttered, her focus was on a particularly interesting knot of wood in the grain of the table.

A deep breath was really the only preparation that could be taken for what was, indeed, a long explanation of sorts. Orihime fixed her hair and her shirt, making sure she was entirely comfortable before even taking her eyes to Matsumoto. When more than appropriate time was wasted on pandering around, Orihime lifted her chin.

"All right, it's not the simplest story, but it begins the other day, the day Rukia returned early from the convention in Soul Society. Hinamori was already in my care a good three days by then, but I was unable to think of a way to validate her being here. So on her own volition; she hid under the covers, pretending to be a lump of bed linens. Miss Kuchiki proceeded to sit down and have a drink with me. One thing led to another and we began a board game, I was desperately searching for a way to address Hinamori's presence. Nothing came to me,"

Orihime paused; she was beginning to tap her digits against her thighs nervously, already.

"Then what?" Rangiku demanded, on the edge of her seat as the drama unfolded.

"That was when…..things took a turn for the worse…"

"I got a leg cramp," Hinamori chimed in, feeling she should elaborate on her own problems. "It hurt so bad, couldn't help but cry out for Orihime. I had grown used to her care,"

"Mmhm, what happened after that?" Matsumoto was deeply engrossed now, hoping that something epic was about to occur, Orihime figured she would be disappointed.

"I noticed Hinamori was there…and couldn't help but poke fun at her predicament," Rukia admitted, all heads turning to her for the moment.

"I reacted to her provocation in a manner befitting my current state of dress," Hinamori guiltily added.

Taking the reigns of the conversation once more, Orihime explained, "That was when the two of them had a little fight, if you could call it that, considering Hinamori's state. The whole situation was caused by Rukia's childish behavior in regards to a sick comrade. I detained the both of them and decided on the best course of action for dealing with bratty children, taking into account how they both had acted," Orihime added a pounding motion of her hand to the end of her explanation for emphasis.

"Ooh, what did you do to them?" Matsumoto requested with devilish delight in her tone.

"When I was little…and sometimes a bit of a brat myself, my brother would spank me, if I was _really_ bad, he'd use my hairbrush. I never did what I was punished for twice," Orihime giggled fretfully, not knowing how Rangiku would react to this.

"No…you didn't!" Matsumoto gleefully exclaimed, her laugh a bit sadistic in intonation.

"Yes, I punished Rukia, and then Hinamori befittingly for their transgressions." Orihime shakily put forth, placing open palms against her thighs, looking to the space between her folded knees.

"Aww, poor babies!" Matsumoto annotated; her giggles and titters filled the room with a queer air that was somewhere saddled between creepy and lighthearted.

"I thought that Rukia would be bettered by a little time in Hinamori's shoes, so I took the liberty of…umm…diapering her…" Orihime trailed off, thinking it was more than apparent now, what had happened.

"So, you're saying you captured, and punished Rukia, as well as treating Hinamori without making an effort to tell anyone?" Rangiku noted, placing her hands on her hips, looking a bit reproachfully at Inoue, the stare summoning the chill of an iceberg.

"I…well….yes," She didn't want to hide it, especially in front of Rangiku, whose stare bathed her in frigidness.

"What would have happened if you had not been able to stabilize Hinamori?" Matsumoto was following a train of though she'd waited quite a bit to address, if only to make sure that Inoue had recovered from her lapse earlier.

"I…don't know…" Orihime could only stammer, like a child, not ready for this line of questioning.

"So you admit what you did was irrational?" there was no turning back now, facing Orihime with the obvious childishness of her actions was necessary, "Sick people, especially shinigami, are not dollies to play mommy with, Miss Orihime."

More and more this was sounding like a trial rather than a discussion. Even Momo and Rukia looked considerably stressed and uncomfortable. Orihime's legs slipped out from under her bottom and were pinched to her chest; her distraught, lined face seemed terribly anguished.

"I didn't know what I was doing…I just thought I was doing what was right…" the shaking in Inoue's voice was the precursor to tears.

"Hey, Matsumoto, Orihime took really good care of me, there is no reason to be mad at her!" Hinamori interrupted indignantly.

"No, Hinamori, Miss Matsumoto is right, I messed up big time…" Orihime continued to fade at the end of her sentences, all of her might, visibly, directed into the strenuous ordeal of, holding back tears.

"I think it's time for babies to take a bath," said Rangiku, sternly.

"All right," Momo subserviently mewled, heading into the bathroom without another word.

Rukia was not so compliant.

"What?! Together?!" Rukia protested, as she was hoisted from her seat, the cascade of crinkles following her as she was forced into the bathroom.

The door was shut, and Rangiku made sure neither was going to waltz out before she was through with Orihime. Her placid step signified a mood much less abrasive than the one with which she had just scolded Inoue. Inoue turned not around to greet Matsumoto, and was taken particularly by the warmth and plushness of Matsumoto's front as it took hold of her, hands forming a bow around her midsection.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I've been so bad, please don't be mad at me anymore, Miss Matsumoto," Orihime stressed apologetically, still managing to keep from bawling, erratically hiccupping, slurring her speech.

Matsumoto's hands closed tighter, nigh on bonding her to Orihime's back, she reassured, "It's all right, as long as you know you were wrong…" Matsumoto did not get to finish.

"No, it's not all right, even if I know I was wrong, if something had happened it would have been my fault, not to mention how I totally disregarded Rukia's feelings and dignity in my motherly delusions!" Orihime was at a point of fevered anguish, little could calm her down now.

"If it's not all right…then what do we have to do to _make_ it right?

"I don't think I know what is right, Miss Matsumoto," Orihime sniffled.

"No, I think you were on to something all along," the gears in Matsumoto's brain were grinding already.

Even with that jumbled head of hers, Orihime was not out of touch enough to fail Matsumoto's so familiar logic. Two daydreamers shared thoughts as few could, especially be it with Matsumoto or Orihime. Inoue's tear swelled eyes gandered upon Rangiku as she leaned her head backwards to confirm her notions. Matsumoto nodded, her lips pursed into a consoling kissy-face.

"You're not doing this because you're going to enjoy it…are you?" Orihime whined.

"You're not doing this because you're going to enjoy it, are you?" Matsumoto winked, her cheeks lifting high.

With resound, a congenial amusement was shared between the two of them, even as Matsumoto was slipping her feet beneath Orihime's backside. That sensation of toes pushing against her rear perked Orihime, who raised her behind off the ground, allowed Rangiku to position herself in a comfortable cross-legged position upon the floor. Not knowing whether to move herself or not, Orihime simply settled back into Rangiku's grasp.

"We're going to have to take this slowly, I'm not exactly used to 'punishment,'" Matsumoto dragged a single finger down Orihime's spine, causing shivers and shakes in its wake, "Someone with a little more experience might have to run me through what to do,"

Orihime's next breath included a moment of swallowing hard, nerve-wracked anxiety tingled into her veins, traveling into her core, causing the butterflies to take flight. The only easing factor to this was that her wards in the bath would not witness their "mother's" punishment. Orihime knelt, hands and knees, hovering over Matsumoto's pretzel shaped lap. The wide, inviting hips she rested herself on were definitely softer than her own; arms folded upon themselves to form a rest to prevent her face from getting acquainted with the carpet.

"Oh-ho, someone is very well made," that summation came with the very embarrassing, soothing, and all together borderline inappropriate palpation of Orihime's backside by one busty blonde.

The touchy-feely event lasted a lot longer than was reckoned, a lot longer than deserved, to Orihime. In her chest, that muscle of love heaved wildly at her walls, rising into her throat, sealing off breath, and thought, and reason. Cheeks heated, hands clenched, that rising action creating a low, anxious whine. Still, Matsumoto didn't move. This agitated, intense longing for her due recompense to begin brought words to Orihime's lips

"Please, please start…" her whisper so tepid, Rangiku felt it upon her thigh, the passion and yearning bidding to burst the valves.

"As you wish, little one," Matsumoto dreamily mused.

There was a squeeze, ending the massaging motions, then nothing, and abruptly Matsumoto's lesson clapped back down against Orihime.

"Ah!" this sudden stimulation started surreptitiously, its nip mild but lucid, Orihime bucked.

Unsure of her own skill, there was an interlude of silence before the second swat, but between that and the third, and then the fourth there was a shortening, until the rain of redemption was even upon the round of Orihime's posterior. This sensation was new, to say the least, it had been uncountable days and weeks, and years since the last time Orihime had felt the stubborn sting upon her rear. Curious, it was, that she was upon this gentle woman's lap, that her hand was striking her, that she was not struggling, or begging for her to stop, something her younger self was notorious for. For the pleading play that occurred before every spanking, the little dance that she was coerced into with the threat of each swat.

A string that had suddenly been pulled between two fingers, the building action propagated by the placement of hand on back again and again was tensing inside Orihime. She knew not if it was amorous desire to be punished, or shame and dignity butting heads down under her skin, but Inoue's lips pursed in pain, the tedious twinge crying out in steady intervals. The cessation of this was more unsettling than the action, Orihime's neck craned as far as it could; Matsumoto took her assaulting hand between thumb and forefinger.

"This is a lot different than I thought it would be, I'm glad you have such a soft, bouncy bottom…" this was punctuated with a pat that sent Orihime forward as if it were a full swat, from it's suddenness, "…I suppose we will have to do something about your little pants guarding this wonderful, yet terribly naughty butt, hmmm?"

There was a pause, Orihime forgot the most awkward part of this little commotion, she was still being relied on to guide Rangiku through it, pride flushed itself in the form of a wiggle that shot straight from neck to soon-to-be-sore rear.

"When you think It's right…you pull them down…" Orihime instructed, adding a long drawn out sighing moan.

"All right then, no whining now, we'll coax those tears out in earnest, don't feel obligated to force them," Matsumoto assured ominously.

Zipping the lip was harder than expected as the spanks picked up afresh, with vim and vigor, due to the confidence gained through the first portion. No longer, could it be dubbed a mere sting; this was a sting and a half, at the very least. Orihime languished, realizing this was a mirroring experience of what she'd performed upon Rukia. Her revelation simply made the ordeal feel much more obligatory than it had at the outset, her bottom would curse, and spite her, but her conscience would benefit from this uplifting experience as her bottom bounced with each smack.

Perverse enjoyment was overflowing in Rangiku's hand, against her will she had edged a finger into Orihime's waistband and tugged, this was slight but as her other fingers joined the tug of war against the elastic, Matsumoto exposed the lovely panties beyond the pants that had hidden them. Pink, frilly, very girly, Matsumoto coveted the only protection now between her hand and Orihime's discolored bottom. Through the pants there'd been enough interference to prevent distinct reddening, but of course that was about to be remedied. The areas of pink, matching to her underwear, would soon stand out deeper, with humility and regret to spare!

Sensation, not pain, rubbing, it began again, so much more intimate, between skin and skin at points, turned Orihime to butter, she loosed her stiffness, melting in Rangiku's lap, awaiting her punishment to resume. A million thoughts fought in Orihime, she looked around the domicile through carrot curls, bleary eyed, but not crying. Forgiveness surely wasn't easy, was it? Feeling the air on her back there, she could only envision Rukia that other evening, bared and ready for the hairbrush's embrace, which frightened her. Was she soon to be facing the hairbrush?

"Miss…Matsumoto…" came sheepishly, Orihime's voice like a repentant kitten.

"Yes, dear, you want me to start already?" Rangiku immediately linked this interjection to the first of its kind.

"No…I…yes, but I have a question,"

"Go ahead, but I'm going to start," Rangiku warned, Orihime had to turn her head, to frightened to face the guillotine hand if she was to watch it.

"Will…" there was a smack, nice and firm to the center of her backside, "…I get…" another three wallops, expedient as to cut through her speech, "…the hairbrush too?"

There was no reply; just the sound of spanking, the sound of rain on the roof, as it was, emanating heat enrapturing the body with fire and pain. Finally, coolness covered the heat with a voice.

"No, I think this is just fine, you simply made a bad decision, you weren't fighting like a naughty girl we both know,"

The laugh that Orihime tried to have was squashed by the next couple of spanks, but the humor was comforting, something she needed now, when she was vulnerable both physically and emotionally. The rain was cleansing away all the dirt and mire, all of the insecurity and doubt as well. Strengthening as it was, it was also breaking her down. The little child in Orihime wished to bawl, but she wanted to hang on just a little longer, for that intimate time of full skin-to-skin spanking, the torrential downpour that would wash all her sins away.

Pervading endlessly, it seemed, Orihime had shut her eyes against the pain, tears welling at the corners of each eye refused to bleed through, they were adamant at only breaking free when the punishment had been served, when justice was delivered, when the conscience was satisfied. Her hands ground into the carpet, working them raw, the cheek lying against them was red with impressions of the knuckles, the entire face flushed and moistened with bodily precipitation.

This struggle was the only performance that Matsumoto could observe as she worked her hand into the malleable dough that had become Inoue's tush. She thought it time enough to take down those adorable panties and create some solace in Orihime. The quicker those tears came, the quicker she could stop this heartbreaking scene of sniffles and whimpers that escaped Orihime with every swat of her plumping peach posterior that took on more of a poppy hue with each blow.

"Time to finish up, don't be alarmed," came the ultimatum, cool fingers pushing into flesh to grab hold of the panties' waistline.

They found a second home just under the curvature of Orihime's round and full bum, this did not upset Inoue, who gave out a long awaited sigh. Soon she could cry, soon this could all be over, at least this part. If Orihime had followed Rangiku's words well enough, she was sure there was more comeuppance to come up. But that was all right, it was what she deserved, all of her just deserts for being the little girl who thought shinigami, nay, who thought that two innocent ladies, were dollies for her to enjoy, even if against their will, in the beginning of Rukia's case.

Her thoughts came to an end with the promissory first swat, there had been no massage this time, there was no time for massage, the punishment needed to be quick and firm, the burning heat building in the bottom of the bratty baby needed to bring those clandestine tears to the surface. The howitzer hand that had been birthed of that palm upon Matsumoto's arm was working at peak efficiency, a machine built beyond jamming, delivering the hurting upon the bare battlefield that was Orihime's hind. Tomato fields could be inspired to jealousy at the sight of that glowing ground zero. And it was not over by a long shot.

"Oww, oww, owwie, ooh!" Orihime could not control the little outbursts now, but her hands did not move, did not dare obstruct justice as it worked tirelessly against her crimes.

"Shhhh, it will all be over soon," Rangiku soothed, her free hand rubbing the skin exposed by the shirt that had escaped the lower portions of Inoue's back during the thrashing.

Clad in a scald all its own, Matsumoto's palm could gauge Orihime's throbbing with her own. Not much longer, Matsumoto couldn't take much more, certainly that meant a certain fanny was soon to cause its owner the purifying tears of deliverance. The ongoing torment on both of them needed to come to an end.

Blitzing in opposition to its anxious protests, the attacking hand did not cease, nor did it desist, against the bare. The tirade had to continue, to liberate the soul from any grief. Inoue struggled, her eyes could not keep themselves closed, the hiccupping refused to cease, her hands, arms pulling them up and out, squirmed in front of her, swimming through the air but going nowhere.

"Owww…" a copious amount of sniffles ensued "…ooh oww…" more weeping, tearless still, "aah, owwie, aaaah!" something more akin to a cry, but nothing just yet.

Smacks at the lowest level of the bottom seemed to illicit the greatest reaction from her patient, so Matsumoto laid on the icing nice and thick at her sit spots, three slaps to each side before moving to the next, then peppering the remainder of Inoue's derriere. Hoping to sever that final bond, to let go the tears, to tear the string in twain and let go of all that yearning, desire, and guilt, Matsumoto quickened and steeled her pace to the most she could muster. On spanking overdrive, of all things, Orihime's emotional blockage crumbled.

A yowl came, it was terribly babyish, the sound of a wounded kitten, followed by copious sobs and whines. The tears flowed, they gushed; there was never a time in her life that Orihime had cried like this. Spilling around and down, to every direction gravity could pull them, the waterfalls seemed likely to dehydrate Orihime with their tenacious path to her chin, dripping to the carpet, drenched it with a large off-colored spot.

"Please…no more…" the voice was too frail, just about silent, not that it mattered, the throbbing remained, but the punishment had ended.

"We're all done, for now,"

"Rub, please….just a little," Orihime's hushed, battered, and beaten voice pleaded.

Matsumoto considered actions spoke louder than words, and began her handling of the crimson bottom without saying anything at all. She wondered if the two in the bathroom were really bathing, but either way it was likely they were fully aware of what was going on, they could wait a little longer for Orihime. Selfishly or not, she _had_ indeed taken care of them well, despite her faulted actions. Rangiku could not dispute this, and so it was reward time for punished Miss 'Hime.

The moments faded away, everything melted into a blur, Rangiku snapped out of a rather delicious daydream involving her and a tall, strapping man from her past. Shaking the perfect fantasy from her tresses and curls, she glanced down at her charge, who whimpered still, but seemed considerably composed. Rangiku took the liberty to raise Inoue from her pitiful clump upon those thighs and hoist her into sitting. This was at first a mistake, for Orihime had been punished proper, and the mere touch of hind to thighs caused whining and struggling that dissolved into an embrace.

"You took that rather well, better than Rukia?"

"Better? I don't know, I blanked out with the pain, I'm sorry…"

"Not a problem, do you want to stay like this a little longer?"

"It would inconvenience my little ones if your little one took up any more time," Orihime shamefacedly conjectured.

"True, you are, then let's finish this up, shall we? Fetch me the diaper supplies, love," Rangiku gave a forward rub to the flaming behind that made Orihime skip towards her things piled in the middle of the room.

"I don't think these will fit me…"

"Nonsense, just bring them over,"

Orihime did as she was told. She brought over a diaper, the powder, the cream, all of what would be needed so she could be properly treated her to the same "luxury" she'd afforded to Rukia and Hinamori. Served her right, didn't it? She couldn't decide, all that was on her mind was repenting for this business and getting on with her friendship with everyone. She didn't want to be a burden of guilt and unhappiness upon them, she was _not_ weak; Orihime had proved that.

"Hmm, this thing is even more confusing than spanking you…" Matsumoto giggled, unfolding the diaper and turning it over in her hands once, then twice, then a third time before putting together that the tapes go on the bottom.

"I lie down now, and you slip it under me," Orihime explained, before being asked to.

Inoue was already on her back by the time Rangiku was done having fun with her inspection of everything about the diaper. She managed to slip it under Orihime without much to do, removing the pants and panties, discarding them in a heap at her side. She even righted the diaper to be perfectly squared and in place. Despite her apprehensions, the padding perfectly covered all of Orihime rear, if but barely.

"It'll be a little snug, but these adorable pink diapers will definitely fit you. I guess I use this right?" Matsumoto held up the powder.

"Yes, sprinkle it….in the obvious areas…" Orihime blushed deeply, not entirely wanting Matsumoto's hands down there.

But, unbelievably quickly, the deed was done, and onto the cream.

"This says anti-rash, you don't need that now, do you?"

"It would do more than simply protecting against rash…" admitted Orihime, who'd brought it over for the sly thought of being soothed by it.

"Hmm, fine," Rangiku spread it thinly and expertly to every tomato-colored expanse of flesh, cooling the pain with relieving and moisturizing goodness.

A fumble of hand movements signified Matsumoto trying to pull the diaper through the valley created by the bent knees of Orihime. She managed to pull it into position with a little struggled, but otherwise, it was a perfect fit, any bigger of thigh or bottom, and it would not have fit, but even Orihime was surprised how it ideally fell into place.

Just the sensation was new, and oddly, a bit intriguing. She could feel the heavy padding, all that material, being fixed between her legs. It pushed upon the moderately well kept field of carroty bristle, making Orihime shake, but Rangiku ignored this, passing it off as simple post-spanking jitters. The tapes were not as difficult as they had presented themselves when she'd first seen them. Working bottom left first, then bottom right, then top right and top left, she affixed the plush with ease. Wiping her brow as though it were rivets she'd just been slaving over, Matsumoto looked over her work.

"Form fitting, and perfectly adorable, I think someone is entirely paid up," Rangiku picked up Orihime's panties, folding them and dropping them along with the other laundry in a heap in the corner of the room.

She dropped the pants into Orihime's lap. Blinking, Orihime then peered up, as though she was direly confused.

"Put them on, unless you want Hinamori and Rukia to plainly see,"

"But won't they anyway, the pants are very tight?"

"Don't worry, I think they're pretty much aware," and with that Rangiku traipsed back to the bathroom door and knocked twice, "everyone out, "bath time" is over,"

Orihime scrambled to her feet, shoving each leg in, tripping to her padded rear with a loud thud. She ignored this, placed her shoulders to the floor, lifted her pelvis into the air and shifted the pants right up, over the diaper just as the door unlocked and with the sound of unoiled metal, the two girls both meandered out, looking, easily, perturbed.

The brightest façade one has ever seen was exuded from Orihime, who had sat Indian-style, hands in her lap, to hide the obvious fact that there was much more underneath her pants that usual. Nervous hands pulled at the back of her shirt, while the other kept guard at the crotch. To no avail, she could not pull the pants up enough, or the shirt down enough to totally cover her bepadded self. Hinamori could not contain her laughter, she knelt besides Inoue and pulled on her arm, trying to dislodge it from her middle.

"You don't have to hide, mommy," Hinamori breathed gently, "it was quite loud enough," she insisted, Orihime caved.

"This is mortifying…" Orihime said, covering her face from scrutiny with her hand.

"No, it's not…"

"Yes, it is,"

"Yeah, a lot different when you get a taste of your own medicine," Rukia said headily, although it was obvious she was still quite diapered, and quite wet.

Everyone shot the haughty girl a nasty look. Matsumoto took her by the arm.

"Let's go for a walk, Miss Kuchiki,"

"But, what…about…and the diaper and…" but she was already pulled out the door, and it was shut behind them.

Momo and Orihime were alone, finally.

"I…mommy…err…Orihime," Hinamori stammered.

Orihime put a finger to those lips and took hold of her, falling backwards, embracing with such fury and passion that the whole world was beginning to shatter around them. The inky black from so long before, covered the room turning tile and carpet to nothingness, to floating, weightless in air of everything and nothing all at once. Orihime's breathing was short, labored, and erratic. Hinamori was hardly breathing at all, but opened their eyes, and all that was there were them.

"I'm going to have to go…" Hinamori began.

"I know, but that doesn't change anything," interrupted Inoue.

"This won't work; we both know it, as cliché as that sounds,"

"It already worked, there was the time we spent together, it has made us both stronger,"

"But…"

"No butts, except diapered ones, yours or mine…"

"What about spanked ones?"

"Those too…"

Hinamori's resulting giggle couldn't crack the loving darkness.

"Then what do we do now?" Hinamori asked, her weary eyes for once wide open, turned to spheres of love.

"Let's enjoy this moment, while we're still here,"

"What do you mea-" she was cut off, the lips were too fast.

Ginger hair flew in all directions as Orihime craned her neck up at the last possible moment. The waggle through her entire frame created crackling crinkles of every sound and tone. But that didn't stop them. Hinamori pushed down, her lips hugging onto Orihime's. She pushed her torso, pelvis, thighs, all of herself, into Hinamori as desperately as she could. The feeling of padded thickness rubbing, pushing on thickly paddedness created sparks and loving palpitations of the heart. Throbbing, bobbing, lips in a messy fight against the other, the two fought like that, bloody colored cheeks, for as long as time had time to spare.

It should have lasted forever, but the best things never do. The two enjoyed that moment for as long as it could last. Neither would forget the courage and confidence they inspired in each other. And for each of their happy endings, this memory would always remain. For friends create in us the power to be strong, the bravery to accept weakness, the good sense to know when we're in need of care, and sometimes discipline.

FIN


End file.
